Common oreorchis

Oreorchis patens is a terrestrial, perennial herb spreading by means of pseudobulbs. Its pseudobulbs are egg-shaped, 1–2 by 0.5–1.5 centimetres (0.39–0.79 by 0.20–0.59 in), and carry two or three nodes that eventually develop into separate growths; the chain of pseudobulbs is connected by a short rhizome. The leaves, 13–30 centimetres (5.1–12 in) in length and 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) in width, are usually solitary or may rarely come in pairs, linear or narrowly lanceolate and pleated. They gradually taper at base into an indistinct petiole-like stalk, and are pointed at the apex. The inflorescence is 25–67 centimetres (9.8–26 in) tall with 2 or 3 tubular sheaths below the middle; the rachis is 4–15.5 centimetres (1.6–6.1 in) and may carry laxly few to subdensely many flowers. The floral bracts are narrowly lanceolate, 2.5–5 millimetres (0.098–0.20 in) long. The flowers are yellowish brown to pale yellow, and the lip is white, often with purple spots. The sepals are narrowly oblong, 7–9 by 1.5–2 millimetres (0.28–0.35 by 0.059–0.079 in), with apices slightly blunt; the lateral sepals are slightly curved like a sickle and wider than the dorsal sepal. The petals are narrowly oblong, and slightly curved, 7–8 by 1.5–1.8 millimetres (0.28–0.31 by 0.059–0.071 in), with the apices pointed. Both the sepals and petals have 3-5 veins. …

The common oreorchis is known from Japan, Korea, the Russian Far East (Kamchatka, Primorye, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands), and China (Gansu, Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Sichuan, Taiwan, and Yunnan). It is found in forests, forest margins, thickets, grassy places, and shaded places along valleys at elevations of 1,000–3,000 metres (3,300–9,800 ft). The hoverflies Episyrphus balteatus and Sphaerophoria menthastri have been known to pollinate O. patens.