Oberonia platychila Schltr. in K.Schum. & Lauterb., Nachtr. Fl. Deutsch. Schutzgeb. Südsee (1905) 113
Type: Schlechter 13773 (holo B, lost)
Epiphytic, pendent, several-stemmed. Roots flexuose, filiform, elongated, glabrous. Stems at the very bases covered with cataphylls, otherwise covered with the leaf-sheaths, 8-19 cm long. Leaves equitant, narrowly falcate-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, 5-7 cm long, in the middle almost 0.5-08 cm wide. Inflorescence densely many-flowered, up to 12 cm long, cylindrical, 0.4 cm diam. across the flowers. Floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, shorter than the ovary. Flowers patent, 0.3 cm diam. Median sepal broadly ovate, subobtuse, c. 0.15 cm long. Lateral sepals as large, at the base somewhat oblique, patent. Petals somewhat smaller than the sepals, oblong, obtuse, patent. Lip at the base somewhat concave, broadly cuneate, almost 0.2 cm long, near the apex c. 0.15 cm wide, apex rounded, notched. Column short, rather thick; stigma relatively large for the genus. Anther broadly ovate, in front subacute; pollinia oblong. Ovary 0.2 cm long, subcylindrical, glabrous. Fruit very shortly pedicellate, , oblong, 0.4 cm long, in the middle 0.2 cm wide. (After Schlechter, 1905)
Colours: Flowers yellowish green.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland forest; 20 m.
Flowering time in the wild: November.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 485-281M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.