Bromheadia finlaysoniana (Lindl.) Miq., Fl. Ned. Indië 3 (1859) 709
Basionym: Grammatophyllum finlaysonianum
Terrestrial plants, slender to very stout, to 1.5 m high. Stem almost terete, 0.3-1.2 cm diam.; internodes 3-8.5 cm long; flowering stems on the basal part with 3-5 bladeless sheaths, central part with 9-18 leaves, upper part 6-45 cm long with 3-8 bladeless sheaths. Leaf sheaths to 3-5 cm long, mostly not overlapping, nerved, opposite the blade with a shallow 0.1-0.3 cm deep U-shaped incision; mucro in the incision short, stiff, about 0.1 cm long. Leaf blade ovate to elliptic, 6-21 by 1.2-4 cm, index 4-10; base for 0.1-0.3 cm petiole-like; margins not parallel, regularly curved; top bilobed, lobes slightly to very unequal, sometimes with a short mucro. Raceme terminal, to 17 cm long, sometimes branched; internodes 0.3-0.4 cm long. Bracts triangular to quadrangular in lateral outline; 4-6 nerved; midrib regularly curved, 0.5-0.6 cm long, top margin curved, 0.5-0.6 cm long. Flowers up to 75 per inflorescence. Pedicel and ovary 0.5-2 cm long. Sepals ovate to elliptic, 2.6-5 by 0.55-1.1 cm, index 3.2-6.7; often the lateral ones keeled, sometimes also the median one. Petals ovate to obovate, 2.6-4.5 by 0.6-1.3 cm, index 2-5. Lip when flattened elliptic in outline, 1.8-3.2 by 0.7-1.7 cm. Hypochile when flattened triangular or elliptic in outline, median somewhat swollen and there with fine papillose warts; lateral lobes large, far projecting in front, mostly pointing forward, sometimes outward, projecting part rounded, 0.3-0.6 cm long, top sometimes ciliolate. Epichile subquadrate to elliptic, 0.8-1.1 by 0.5-0.9 cm, centrally swollen and there with irregular warts, sometimes with cross-bands; base not constricted; margins undulate, sometimes ciliolate; top usually acuminate. Column about lanceolate when flattened, 1.3-2.0 by 0.15-0.25 cm, sometimes dorsally with a strong median rib; seams 0.08-0.15 cm wide, to the top narrowing; top hood-like, 0.15-0.2 cm high; rostellum triangular, about as big as the anther. Anther elliptic in outline, 0.18-0.24 by 0.12-0.15 cm; median crest almost not raised to 0.02 cm high; pollinia ellipsoid to ovoid, c. 0.13 by 0.08 cm long, with a longitudinal groove. Fruit body 4-7 by 0.5-0.8 cm, perianth persistent on top. (After Scheindelen & de Vogel, 1997).
Colours: Sepals and petals white to cream coloured, lip white to cream coloured with lateral lobes purple veined and epichile with a central yellow patch; sometimes flowers yellow or orange.
Habitat: Terrestrial in lowland grassland. Altitude 6-510 m.
Flowering time in the wild: March, June, July, September, October.
Distribution: Malesia (Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, Moluccas, New Guinea, ?The Philippines, Mentawai Is., Riau and Lingga Arch.), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Anambas Is., Australia.
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 93-9M.JPG
Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial, keep in light position.