About Didymoplexis pallens Griff.
Didymoplexis pallens, commonly known as crystal bells, is a leafless, terrestrial mycotrophic herb. It grows from a fleshy rhizome and produces a fleshy yellow flowering stem that reaches 60โ250 mm (2โ10 in) in height. This species produces between five and fifteen resupinate flowers, which can be white, pinkish, or brownish. Individual flowers measure 6โ8 mm (0.2โ0.3 in) long and 8โ10 mm (0.3โ0.4 in) wide, but only one or two short-lived flowers open at a time. The flowers are bell-shaped, with sepals and petals that are similar in size and shape and fused for approximately half their length. The labellum is wedge-shaped, measuring 6โ7 mm (0.2โ0.3 in) long and 9โ10 mm (0.35โ0.39 in) wide, with upward-curving sides. Two or three irregular rows of calli run along the midline of the labellum. Plants emerge with the first rains of the wet season. Flowering occurs from November to March in Australia, and from April to May in China. Didymoplexis pallens grows in rainforests, grassy forests, and bamboo forests. Its distribution spans China, Taiwan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia (including Christmas Island), and islands of the southwest Pacific. In Australia, it occurs on Cape York Peninsula as far south as Cardwell, on some Torres Strait Islands, in northern parts of the Northern Territory, and in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
