An orchid weed: Spiranthes sinensis
Some orchids have extremely restricted ranges, being only found in one very specific site in just one mountain, and on the other end of the extreme are those that occur in vast swathes of territory- and I mean VAST. The plant we have here is one such species, with a range that can almost be described as ridiculous. Ladies and gents, meet Spiranthes sinensis . How widespread is Spiranthes sinensis ? It has been recorded from India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China across mainland Southeast Asia (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kashmir, and Mongolia), Siberia, Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, Korea, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands, East Timor, the Moluccas, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Niue, Northern Australia, Tasmania, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Whew. In the Philippines, this species has been found in Ifugao, Benguet and Mountain Province on Luzon, the island of Dinagat, and Agusan (exact provinces no...