Dienia seidenfadeniana Szlach., Marg. & Rutk., Adansonia 21 (1999) 221, fig. 1
Type: Bartlett & la Rue 254 (holo L), from Sumatra, Karo-land
Pseudobulbs 4.5-10 cm long, fusiform, more or less ascending, internodes few to several mm long, 0.2-0.3 cm diam., (2-)9- to 14-leaved. Leaves spirally arranged along pseudobulb; blade 2.2-10.2 by 1.2-2.6 cm, oblanceolate to obliquely ovate-lanceolate, acuminate; petiole 0.42 cm long, narrow, channelled, sheathing at the base. Inflorescence 12.8-17.3 cm long, erect; rachis 3.8-5.6 cm long, probably longer, densely 20-60-flowered. Floral bracts 0.38-0.6 cm long, linear-lanceolate to linear-triangular, acuminate. Flowers small, not resupinate. Median sepal 0.2-0.3 by 0.1-0.16 cm, elliptic-ovate to oblong-obovate, obtuse to subobtuse, 3-nerved. Petals 0.18-0.25 cm long, falcate, oblong to oblong-oblanceolate, subobtuse to subacute, 1- or indistinctly 3-nerved. Lateral sepals 2.26 cm long, 0.13-0.18 cm wide, obliquely oblong-obovate to oblong-elliptic, subobtuse to subacute, 3-nerved. Lip 0.22-0.34 by 0.32-0.4 cm, distinctly 3-lobed, the basal callus 3-chambered; lateral lobes falcate, ovate-triangular, widely divergent, subacute to subobtuse, with a small tooth near the base of the mid-lobe; mid-lobe 0.06-0.14 by 1.12 cm, ovate to almost triangular in outline, obtuse, notched in apical third. Column 0.1-0.12 cm long. Pedicel and ovary 0.25-0.5 cm long, slender. (After Szlachetko et al., 1979)
Colours: Leaves dark purple above, yellowish green with purple veins below. Inflorescence dark purple. Sepals and petals purple with light green margins, lip green.
Habitat: Terrestrial in oak forest; 720 m.
Flowering time in the wild: October.
Distribution: Malesia (Sumatra, New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 228-17M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm to intermediate growing terrestrial, keep in shaded position.
Notes: We consider this to be a species of Malaxis, but to the best of our knowledge there is no name available under this genus.