Differences Between Pleione and Aspidistra and How to Identify Them

Scientific name: Pleione bulbocodioides

Alternative name: Yiyelan (one-leaf orchid)

Family and genus: Orchidaceae, perennial herb

Morphological features:

When Pleione blooms, a single leaf grows beside the flower, which is why it is also called Yiyelan (one-leaf orchid), while the name Pleione comes from its garlic-like pseudobulb.

Terrestrial or epiphytic; the pseudobulb is ovoid or conical, 2 cm to 3 cm long; the flowering period is April to June; the upright inflorescence is 15 cm to 25 cm tall, usually bearing a single flower, pale purple or pink, with numerous dark purplish-red spots on the lip.

This orchid is short in stature, with a peach-shaped or flask-shaped pseudobulb. In spring the leaves and flowers appear together, or it first blooms and then produces leaves on both sides or one side of the flower stalk. There are varieties such as one-leaf Pleione and orchid-leaf Pleione. It sheds its leaves in autumn and winter, and the remaining pseudobulb sends up a shoot and blooms the following spring. The flowers come in color ranges such as rose red, purple, yellow and white. Each flower is about the size of a thumb, extremely vivid, with a darker-colored lip covered in fine hairs. The leaves are about 12 cm tall, thick and papery, with crinkled surfaces, and some even have yellow or white line variegation.

Distribution:

Distributed across the vast region of China along the Yangtze River basin and to the south, beneath broad-leaved forests at altitudes above 900 m.

This is a terrestrial orchid, found in the deep mountains of the provinces and regions south of the Yangtze River basin, and especially common in Yunnan.

Growth habits:

It prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment.

Plant it in a shallow pot using peat, moss or leaf mold, and ensure the root zone has good aeration and drainage. In autumn it gradually enters dormancy; after the leaves dry up, keep the potting soil dry until germination begins the following spring.

Uses:

The single garlic-like bulb is suitable for growing into a miniature bonsai, to be placed on a desk as an accent piece for indoor flowers.

The pseudobulb of Pleione, that is, its "garlic bulb", is also a medicinal material with detoxifying properties.

Common species: There are Pleione albiflora, Pleione forrestii, Pleione formosana (Taiwan, China), Pleione sichuanica and others.

Pleione can be considered a native orchid of our country. The entire genus Pleione contains about 16 species, and 15 of them are distributed in our country. Traces of Pleione plants can be found from Taiwan, China to Tibet in our country.

Although Pleione's homeland is in our country and some neighboring countries, it is also very popular in European and American countries. This is probably because Westerners first discovered Pleione in Nepal, and its flowers somewhat resemble crocuses, so in English Pleione is called "Nepalese crocuses"; in English it also has another name, "window-sill orchids", probably because Pleione is easy to cultivate and is often placed on the windowsills of ordinary households. In addition, there are names such as "Peacock Orchid" and others.

In the West, there are many "enthusiasts" who grow Pleione, and they have collected a large number of Pleione varieties. The famous Chelsea Flower Show in the UK has given awards to excellent Pleione varieties, and recently scholars at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK have also published a dedicated monograph on Pleione. This shows that this Oriental orchid already has considerable influence in the West.