Stigmatodactylus croftianus (Kores) Kores, Novon 2, 3 (1992) 212
Basionym: Acianthus croftianus
Small, erect herb, 5-14 cm tall; subterranean tubers globose, 1-2 mm in diam., finely villose. Stem slender, angular, 5-8 cm long, glabrous, enclosed at base by 1-3 cataphylls; cataphylls clasping, 5-7 mm long, 1-nerved, distally free for 3-5 mm, the free portion acute. Leaf cordate, 15-22 mm long, 10-16 mm broad, the base decurrent with the stem along the lateral edges, the apex abruptly acuminate or apiculate, the margin undulate. Inflorescence to 4 cm tall, laxly 1- to 3-flowered. Floral bracts broadly ovate, 5-6 mm long, 5-7 mm broad, 3- to 5-nerved, at the base rounded or truncate, apex broadly acuminate. Flowers ascending. Sepals slightly dissimilar, broadly spreading, linear-subulate, 9-12 mm long, about 0.5 mm broad, 1-nerved, glabrous, the apex narrowly acute. Petals spreading, linear-subulate, 7-10 mm long, about 0.5 mm broad, 1-nerved, glabrous, the apex subulate. Lip patent and usually slightly curved distally, broadly elliptic, 6-7 mm long, 5-6 mm broad, 7 or 9-nerved, the base truncate, the apex broadly obtuse and ultimately minutely apiculate, the point reflexed, 0.25-0.5 mm long, the lateral margins minutely crenulate distally, the disc with a single, large callus near the base and rarely with a few scattered, tooth-like accessory calls, the main callus prominently 3-lobed, 3-4 mm long, about 0.75 mm broad, about 1.5 mm tall, densely minutely pubescent throughout, the lateral lobes slightly longer than mid-lobed, several or less parallel, almost completely divided into 4-6 pairs of weakly ascending, blunt teeth, 0.25-0.5 mm long, the mid-lobe strongly ascending, aliform, rather thick and weakly channelled distally along the upper margin, the apex inflexed, narrowly acute. Column 3-5 mm long, the basal 2/3 with a hyaline keel along the ventral surface, the keel with an acutely mucronate, wing-like appendage at apex, the apical 1 /3 of column with two pairs of teeth along lateral edges of ventral surface; pollinia four, mealy, obliquely subdeltoid, about 0.7 mm long, about 0.4 mm broad, the viscidium small, transversely oblong; stigma transversely obovate, with a prominent, porrect, obtuse tooth along ventral margin. Ovary cylindrical, 3-5 mm long, about 1 mm in diam., 6-grooved; capsule fusiform, 8-10 mm long by about 4 mm in diam. (After Kores, 1991)
Colours: Plant light green. Flower pale green, lip deeper bluish green with a brownish spot at the base.
Habitat: Terrestrial in montane forest in deep shade; 2100 to 2700 m.
Flowering time in the wild: January, August, December.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea), Solomon Islands.
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 665-2M.JPG.
Cultivation: Cool growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.