Dryadorchis huliorum

Dryadorchis huliorum (Schuit.) Christenson & Schuit., Blumea 40 (1995) 423

Basionym: Sarcochilus huliorum

Roots glabrous, not or sparsely branching, 0.08-0.15 cm diam. Stem unbranched, 2-2.5 cm long, rooting at the base. Leaves 3-4, somewhat obliquely elliptic, slightly falcate, coriaceous, 2.5-4 by 1.3-1.8 cm, twisted 90 degrees at the base, spreading in one plane; margins minutely crenulate-denticulate; top unequally bilobed, the adaxial lobe largest and more or less falcate; keeled below, the keel crenulate-denticulate near the top; veining reticulate. Inflorescence arising below the lowest leaf, patent, racemose, c. 7-flowered. Peduncle 5 cm long, with two distant tubular, 0.2 cm long scales, gradually thickened towards the rachis. Rachis pointing downward, elongating, finally c. 1.5 cm long, 0.35 cm diam., winged, with the wings more or less distinctly irregularly serrulate. Floral bract cupular, obtuse, 0.15 cm long and wide. Pedicel and ovary terete, glabrous, 0.5 cm long. Flowers opening successively or in pairs, ephemeral, widely opening, c. 2 cm across. Sepals strongly concave, obtuse. Median sepal obovate, 1.27 by 0.69 cm when flattened. Lateral sepals broadly obovate, 1.17 by 0.84 cm when flattened. Petals narrowly obovate-subspathulate, 1.22 by 0.48 cm, obtuse. Lip 3-lobed, 0.64 cm long, hinged by a short, 0.1 cm long claw to the column-foot; lateral lobes broadly obovate, 0.27 by 0.23 cm, suberect, obtuse; mid-lobe strongly swollen, broadly pear-shaped, 0.5 cm long, 0.56 cm wide, 0.38 cm high, at the base with a narrow, 0.2 cm deep cavity, otherwise solid, at the entrance to the cavity with two semiorbicular, 0.05 cm long lobules, at 0.2 cm below the apex with a low transverse ridge, concave at the apex; exterior parts of the lip minutely pubescent, with some larger hairs near the apex. Column stout, slightly curved, 0.67 cm long, minutely pubescent, with larger hairs along the margins; foot 0.2 cm long. Stigma large, concave, suborbicular, 0.3 cm wide; rostellum 3-lobed, the lateral lobes subulate, 0.1 cm long, the median lobe more narrowly subulate, 0.04 cm long; clinandrium rather flat, with two shallow concavities separated by a low smooth ridge. Anther cucullate, transversely elliptic, 0.14 by 0.19 cm. Pollinia 4, hemispherical, subequal, in two dorsoventrally compressed spherical masses each 0.08 cm across. Stipe oblong, 0.16 by 0.06 cm, apex truncate; viscidium rather large, elliptic, 0.08 cm long. Fruit not seen. (After Schuiteman, 1994, as Sarcochilus huliorum Schuit.).

Colours: Sepals and petals pale yellow with red-brown transverse bands. Lip whitish, lateral lobes spotted red-brown, mid-lobe with pale magenta interconnected bands. Column light yellow, in front around and below the stigma tinged red-brown. Anther light yellow.

Habitat: Epiphyte in montane forest in shaded positions. Altitude 1300-1700 m.

Flowering time in the wild: Not known

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 258-2M.JPG

Cultivation: Intermediate growing epiphyte, keep in shade.

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