Taeniophyllum tripulvinatum J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 14 (1929) 502, pl. 86, fig. 141
Type: Lam 619 (holo L)
Stem short, densely covered with subulate scales; roots elongated, creeping, laterally flattened, to 17 cm long, when dried to 0.18 cm wide. Inflorescences many, densely many-flowered; peduncle hair-like, glabrous, 3-5 cm long, with a few small tubular scales; rachis to 0.7 cm long, including the floral bracts 0.15-0.16 cm wide, internodes 0.03-0.05 cm long. Floral bracts distichous, dense, patent, overlapping, concave, triangular, acutely apiculate, dorsally to 0.1 cm long. Flowers very small, 0.3 cm long. Sepals and petals parallel. Median sepal elliptic, obtuse, at the apex 3-dentate, concave, 3-nerved, 0.35 by 0.18 cm. Lateral sepals obliquely oblong, obtuse, concave, 3-nerved, 0.32 cm long, slightly more than 0.15 cm wide. Petals obliquely elliptic, obtuse, strongly concave, in the apical part with slightly irregular margins, 3-nerved, 0.33 by 0.18 cm. Lip porrect, entire, very shortly spurred, including the spur 0.33 cm long, slightly more than 0.2 cm wide; blade in outline elliptic, strongly concave, convex below, margins at the apex notched and minutely apiculate, incurved, minutely undulate, somewhat erose, blade when flattened 6-angular, at the base truncate, at the apex slightly obtusely notched, 0.3 cm long, slightly more than 0.3 cm wide, 5-nerved, especially the outer nerves strongly branched, inside in the basal part with two convex, orbicular swellings, in the apical part with one longitudinally elliptic swelling; spur minute, pointing backwards, when seen from below orbicular, flattened, 0.03 cm long. Column very short, thick, dorsally convex, without anther 0.05 cm long; clinandrium deeply concave, transverse, at the apex truncate; stigma lobes conspicuous, concave; rostellum pointing backwards, bipartite, the segments abruptly porrect, subulate, almost equalling the apex of the column. Anther cucullate, in outline 5-angular, at the base transversely quadrangular, at the apex with a short triangular-acuminate beak, at the base rounded-bilobulate, slightly contracted in the middle, thin, 0.05 cm wide; pollinia subglobose. Ovary 6-grooved, in the grooves sparsely furfuraceous-puberulous, 0.18 cm long; pedicel angular, 0.23 cm long. The immature fruit sparsely furfuraceous-puberulous. (After Smith, 1929)
Colours: Flower yellow to orange, ovary greenish yellow.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland forest; 10 to 150 m.
Flowering time in the wild: July, September.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 676-211M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.