Papilionanthe cylindrica (Lindl.) Seidenf.

 
  • Family : ORCHIDACEAE
    (Orchid Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : ORCHID FAMILY (ऑर्चिड फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Orchidaceae
  • Basionym : Aerides cylindricum Lindl.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Papilionanthe cylindrica (Lindl.) Seidenf.
  • Common name : Butterfly Orchid
  • Habit : Herb
  • Habitat : Tropical evergreen forests, Shola
  • Comments / notes : Epiphytic. A striking plant when in flower, easily mistaken for Luisia sp. when vegetative. Often on hills above 1200m, abundant on thickets on fully sun-exposed slopes.
  • Key identification features : Flowers pinkish-white
  • Flower, Fruit : February-April
  • Collector(s) Name : T.P.Ramamoorthy; Cecil J. Saldanha
  • Collection Nos : HFP 1456, CJS 12902
  • Collection Locality : Mankanahalli-Vanagur (Hassan); Byakarvalli (Hassan)
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Hassan district, Mysuru district
    • Kerala : Kannur district, Wayanad district, Palakkad district, Idukki district, Pathanamthitta district, Kollam district, Thiruvananthapuram district
    • Tamil Nadu : Throughout Tamil Nadu hills
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Kameng
  • Native : India, Sri Lanka
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 - Flora of Hassan district, Karnataka
    • Rao & Razi, 1981 - Mysore
    • Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (2). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Materials for Flora of Arunachal Pradesh. Volume 3, Botanical Survey of India, 2009. Pg.: 138
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Papilionanthe cylindrica
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Papilionanthe cylindrica. Downloaded on 12 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Habitat

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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