Bulbophyllum thrixspermoides J.J.Sm., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 11 (1912) 132
Type: Gjellerup 814 (holo BO?, n.v.; iso L [sterile])
Rhizome creeping, entirely covered with soon disintegrating sheaths. Pseudobulbs c. 2.7-4.1 cm apart, elongated, cylindrical, to the apex slightly attenuate and laterally compressed, longitudinally grooved, c. 3.4 cm long; in the basal part 0.55 cm diam., at the apex 0.33 cm diam. Leaf petiolate, lanceolate, gradually acuminate, very acute, coriaceous, c. 11-15 by 1.8-2.75 cm; petiole channelled, conduplicate, c. 2-3.5 cm long; blade below very minutely dotted; midrib above grooved, below prominent. Inflorescences many-flowered, from the nodes of the rhizome, producing flowers with intervals. Inflorescence filiform, c. 25 cm long, with c. 5 small, tubular, to the top laxly placed, to 0.7 cm long sheaths; rachis flexuose, to c. 11 cm long, over the bracts 0.6 cm wide, the internodes 0.3 cm long. Floral bracts distichous, funnel-shaped, clasping the rachis, incurved, erect, strongly conduplicate-compressed, dorsally strongly curved and high keeled, the upper part parallel to the rachis, acute, minutely scurfy-punctate, 0.7 cm long. Flowers rather large. Median sepal lanceolate-linear, gradually elongated and very acute acuminate, especially to the top conduplicate-concave; dorsally to the top keeled, 5-nerved, c. 3 by 0.5 cm. Lateral sepals obliquely lanceolate-linear, gradually elongated and very narrowly acuminate, especially to the top conduplicate, keeled, 5-nerved, c. 3.3 by slightly over 0.6 cm at the base; keel with irregular margin. Petals very small, obliquely oblong, 3-nerved, the outer nerves shortly forked, 0.4 by 0.16 cm; apex narrowed, bilobed, the lobules oblong, irregularly dentate, with a longer, 0.13 cm long setum in between. Lip strongly mobile, almost flat, narrowly ovate-oblong, narrowed to the apex, subobtuse, 11-nerved, c. 1.6 by almost 0.6 cm; base slightly recurved; upper side with a longitudinal groove extending to beyond the middle delimited by 2 narrow warty-lobulate keels, at the base with two obliquely curved, warty keels which at 0.4 cm above the base merge with the longitudinal keels and which delimited an ovate-triangular, verrucose concavity. Column fairly long, straight, dorsally and along the sides angular, margins above dilated, towards the middle of the column elevated in a triangular, obtuse tooth, 0.5 cm long; filament filiform; stelidia triangular, shortly acuminate, exceeding the filament; stigma suborbicular; column-foot making an obtuse angle with the ovary, oblong, very lightly curved, truncate, fleshy, c. 0 46 cm long. Anther high cucullate, elliptic; base minutely retuse, 0.15 cm long; apex somewhat extended, recurved, obtuse. Ovary 6-grooved, 0.55 cm long, including the pedicel 0.95 cm long clavate, very minutely punctate. (After Smith, 1916)
Colours: Flower dull dark green. Sepals with white and violet-red longitudinal stripes. Lip brown-red. Column yellow, brown punctuate.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland forest; 300 m.
Flowering time in the wild: November.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); see map 96-1836M.jpg.
Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.