Appendicula calcicola

Appendicula calcicola Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1912) 354

Type: Schlechter 17977 (holo B, lost; iso AMES, BO, K)

Terrestrial or semi-epiphytic, erect, 45-70 cm high, several-stemmed; rhizome very short, roots filiform, elongated, flexuose, shortly villose; stems erect, straight or almost straight, unbranched, leafy, terete, glabrous, entirely covered by the closely appressed leaf-sheaths, above the base 0.3-0.4 cm diameter; leaves erect-patent, lanceolate, pointed, apex short bilobulate, with a minute apiculum, 5-9 cm long, below the middle 1-2.3 cm wide; sheaths with deeply emarginate apical margins. Inflorescences terminal or rarely lateral, somewhat patent, rather densely many-flowered, elongated, up to 7 cm long; bracts reflexed, oblong, obtuse, about half as long as the ovary. Flowers patent, glabrous. Sepals ovate, obtuse, almost 0.35 cm long. Lateral sepals oblique, at the base clearly dilated along the front margin, mentum oblongoid, obtuse, 0.28 cm long. Petals obliquely sublinear-ligulate, obtuse, at the base somewhat decurrent, somewhat shorter than the sepals. Lip in outline oblong-cuneate, 0.5 cm long, below the apex 0.33 cm wide, in front subtruncate-obtuse with a small apiculum, in the middle on either side along the margins with a small protruding fold, at the base with a forked, narrowly horseshoe-shaped lamella, the ?legs? somewhat diverging above the base and somewhat dilated above the middle, decurrent to below the apex of the lip. Column short, column-foot at apex concave, rostellum small, bidentate. Anther reniform-cucullate, narrowly obtusely and shortly apiculate; pollinia obliquely clavate, about equal-sized, stipe obliquely oblanceolate, about as long as the pollinia; viscidium small, rounded. Ovary with pedicel slender, cylindrical, glabrous, 0.5 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914)

Colours: Flower yellowish green, petals with red margins, lip in basal half red, in apical half light yellow.

Habitat: Terrestrial in lower montane forest. Altitude 1000 m.

Flowering time in the wild: July.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 57-30M.JPG

Cultivation: Intermediate growing terrestrial, keep in shade.

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