View source for Acanthephippium

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Acanthephippium''
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Monocotyledon|Liliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Asparagales]]
| familia = [[Orchidaceae]]
| subfamilia = [[Epidendroideae]]
| tribus = [[Arethuseae]]
| subtribus = [[Bletiinae]]
| alliance = Calanthe
| genus = '''''Acanthephippium'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carl Ludwig Blume|Blume]], [[1825]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 
See [[Acanthephippium#Species|Section Species]]
}}

'''''Acanthephippium''''' is a [[genus]] of [[orchid]] with twelve [[species]] (family [[Orchidaceae]]). The name of this genus is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] words ''acanthos'' ("spiny") and ''ephippion'' ("saddle"), referring to the saddle-like [[labellum]] of the plants.

This [[terrestrial plant |terrestrial]] and sometimes [[myco-heterotrophic]] genus of [[sympodial]] orchids is distributed from the [[tropical]] and [[subtropical]] Indian subcontinent to China and the southwest Pacific. 

The terrestrial species are up to 80 cm tall. They have short [[rhizome]]s. The oblong and fleshy [[pseudobulb]]s are up to 25 cm tall. They produce at their apex 2 to 3 large [[Wiktionary:plicate|plicate]], [[Wiktionary: lanceolate|lanceolate]], parallel-veined [[Leaf|leaves]], which can be up to 65 cm long.

The erect [[inflorescence]] arises laterally from the pseudobulbs, with 3 to 6 flowers, [[Wiktionary:subtended|subtended]] by large, [[Wiktionary:glabrous|glabrous]] [[bract]]s. The flowers are prominent, large, [[Wiktionary:striated|striated]] cup- or urn-shaped, fleshy, waxy, and about 4 cm long. They resemble a [[tulip]], a most unusual shape for an orchid. The flowers have a wide range of colors, from dull yellow to red to shades of orange and pink, marked with stripes or spots. The blossoms are usually odiferous with a very strong fragrance.

This genus is allied to genera ''[[Calanthe]]'', ''[[Phaius]]'', and ''[[Spathoglottis]]''.