Flower profile
Chinese ground orchid
Calanthe tankervilleae
Chinese ground orchid is a flowering plant. In Hawaii it's most often seen in bloom in January–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Hawaii
Quick look
Calanthe tankervilleae, commonly known as the greater swamp-orchid, swamp lily, swamp orchid, nun's-hood orchid, nun's orchid, veiled orchid, Lady Tankerville's swamp orchid or 鹤顶兰 , is a species of orchid native to areas from Asia to islands in the Pacific Ocean. It has large, pleated leaves and tall flowering stems bearing up to twenty five white, brown, mauve and yellow flowers.
- It belongs to the Orchidaceae family. iNaturalist
- In Hawaii, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 614 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #84 among the 105 flowers on our Hawaii list. iNaturalist
Chinese ground orchid gift ideas
Handmade chinese ground orchid gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
-
Placeholder
Chinese ground orchid art print
-
Placeholder
Chinese ground orchid greeting card
-
Placeholder
Chinese ground orchid mug
-
Placeholder
Chinese ground orchid earrings
-
Placeholder
Chinese ground orchid embroidery pattern
-
Placeholder
Chinese ground orchid sticker
When does it bloom?
In Hawaii, most flowering sightings come in January–June.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe
- Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe
- Hawaii
- Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. HAR 13-107
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.
More Hawaii flowers
Sources
- USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
- iNaturalist, Calanthe tankervilleae: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Calanthe tankervilleae (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
- Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.