Bulbophyllum section Beccariana Pfitzer, in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2, 6 (1889) 179
Medium-sized to very large epiphytes. Rhizomes creeping; rhizome bracts (rather) thin, glabrous, caducous, but veins slightly to distinctly more persistent as fibres. Roots sprouting along the rhizome, spreading, glabrous, locally hirsute. Pseudobulbs inconspicuous to distinct compared to the size of the plant, 1-leafed, with shoots sprouting at its basal node, free (fused to the pseudobulb for up to 2/3 of the length of the latter in Bulbophyllum pachyglossum). Leaves persistent, thin to rather thick, often with numerous thin veins. Inflorescences sprouting from the basal node of the pseudobulb or from nodes near the pseudobulb, single, usually a 2— many-flowered, congested or elongated raceme, sometimes 1-flowered with an abortive second flower present. Peduncle as long as the leaves or shorter, peduncle bracts 3— 10, scattered along the rhizome or with the upper up to approx. half-way the peduncle. Rachis if present not or hardly thickened. Flowers usually approx. all open simultaneously per inflorescence if the latter is racemose; floral bracts not aplexicaul (amplexicaul but not tubular in species with a 1— 3-flowered raceme); pedicel with the basal node level with the attachment of the floral bract or up to 1 x the diameter of the pedicel above it, shorter to distinctly longer than the ovary. Sepals free or the laterals (partly) adnate along the lower margin, of approx. equal length or the laterals up to c. 1.4 times as long as the median (c. 2.6 times as long as the median in Bulbophyllum ornatum); 4.5— 155 mm long, elliptic to triangular, obtuse(-apiculate) to long acuminate, margins entire, glabrous; rather thin to very thick, 5— 19-veined, adaxially glabrous, abaxially glabrous to papillose to densely long-hairy, Petals 2.2— 60 mm long, elliptic to (ob-)ovate to triangular, or rhombiform, rounded(-caudate) to acuminate, margins entire, glabrous (ciliate in Bulbophyllum ornatum) rather thin to thick, 3— 9-veined, surface glabrous. Lip mobile on a thin ligament, without auricles, undivided, 1.8— 24 mm long, elliptic to oblong, or ovate to triangular, sometimes constricted approx. half-way, margins entire to partly erose, glabrous; adaxially without ridges or with two inconspicuous to very distinct, entire to erose ridges in approx. flexural position, with or without two more short or knob-shaped ridges close to the ligament, adaxial surface glabrous to partly papillose, hirsute, with long hairs, or verrucate to rugose; abaxial surface glabrous. Column with rostellum front (slightly) receding in between the stelidia tips, stigma large, with 3 keels inside (two on the front wall, a single on the back wall), proximally not protruding, column foot tapering towards its top or not, without lateral lobes next to the ligament, free part approx. absent to very long. Stelidia approx. 1/2 of the length of the column or shorter, deltoid to triangular to subulate, entire to erose along the upper margin, with a patent to antrorse, deltoid to triangular to elongated (ovate-)oblong, rounded to acute tooth or wing along the lower margin. Anther abaxially with a low to rather high, obtuse crest, front not concave, front margin somewhat drawn out or not. Pollinia 4, the inner distinctly more than half as long as the outer, with or without a single stipes.
Distribution
New Guinea: 17 taxa. Altogether 65 provisionally accepted taxa (110 names): India, Nepal, China, Vietnam; Peninsular Malaysia to Java, The Philippines, East to West Pacific.
Section Pahudia includes section Macrobulbon, with some distinctive-looking, very large species with short, sturdy inflorescences like Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis J.J. Sm., but also smaller ones like Bulbophyllum cruentum Garay et al., Bulbophyllum stictosepalum Schltr (medium-sized and with an elongated inflorescence).
The following taxa in this program belong to this Section:
Bulbophyllum agastor
Bulbophyllum alticaule
Bulbophyllum cruentum
Bulbophyllum fletcherianum
Bulbophyllum foetidum
Bulbophyllum foetidum var. grandiflorum
Bulbophyllum guttatum
Bulbophyllum hoyifolium
Bulbophyllum ichthyosme
Bulbophyllum macrobulbum
Bulbophyllum myodes
Bulbophyllum ornatum
Bulbophyllum orthosepalum
Bulbophyllum pachyglossum
Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis
Bulbophyllum stictosepalum
Bulbophyllum virescens
Bulbophyllum wakoi