Nervilia campestris (J.J.Sm.) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 45 (1911) 403
Basionym: Pogonia campestris
Tuber elliptic, 1.3 cm long; roots short, long pilose, 0.6-0.8 cm long. Inflorescence elongated, erect, at the apex laxly 2-4 flowered; peduncle 15-33 cm long, glabrous, at the base with a few tubular scales, near the middle with a single scale; rachis 2-7 cm long. Floral bracts lanceolate-linear, sharply acute, 5-nerved, 2.4 cm long. Sepals linear-lanceolate, sharply acute, mucronate, obtusely concave, 3-nerved, 2.5 cm long, 0.33 cm wide. Lateral sepals slightly oblique, keeled. Petals narrowly spathulate-lanceolate, obtuse, at the apex 3-dentate, 3-nerved, dorsally keeled, 2.1 cm long, 0.35-0.37 cm wide. Lip 3-lobed, 3-nerved, when flattened 2.1-2.4 cm long, 1.35-1.45 cm wide, pubescent, with 3 closely spaced, pubescent, on the mid-lobe hardly raised keels running from base to apex; lateral lobes erect, clasping and much surpassing the column, broad, at the apex rounded, inside pubescent-veined; mid-lobe porrect, ovate-quadrangular, 0.65-0.8 cm long, 0.8-0.9 cm wide, at the apex shortly obtusely acuminate, recurved and with a short, inward, convex fold, undulate, crenulate, the nerves inside, except along the margins of the lobed, pubescent. Column slender, slightly sigmoid, clavate, 1-1.1 cm long, at the apex (filament) obtuse, incurved, weakly keeled, in front near the base somewhat pubescent; clinandrium deeply concave, with large rounded auricles; rostellum semi-orbicular; stigma quadrangular, lower margins elongated, recurved. Anther sunken in the base of the clinandrium, large, cucullate, in outline obovate, in front with an almost flat swelling, shortly bidentate-rostrate, 2-denticulate, 0.25 cm long. Ovary obconical, triangular, 6-ribbed, 0.45 cm long; pedicel much thinner than the ovary, triangular, twisted, 0.5 cm long. (After Smith, 1909 and Smith, 1913)
Colours: Sepals and petals red-brown, lip violet with a white spot.
Habitat: Terrestrial in Imperata grassland and thick grassland in savanna on creek flats; c. 0 m.
Flowering time in the wild: August, October, December.
Distribution: Malesia (Java, New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 479-13M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial, requires light position.