Habenaria lamii

Habenaria lamii J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 14 (1929) 338, pl. 41, 1

Type: Lam 1743 (holo BO; iso L)

Stem short, part seen 3.5 cm long, in the basal part covered with sheaths, above 3-leaved. Leaves widely spaced, small, erect-patent, ovate, acuminate, undulate, keeled below, rigid, when dried 1.2-1.25 cm long, 0.6 cm wide; sheaths tubular. Inflorescence erect, laxly 8-10-flowered, peduncle 12-14 cm long, scales 4, tubular, long acuminate, in upper part passing into the bracts, rachis angular, glabrous, 6 cm long. Floral bracts erect, appressed to the ovary, strongly concave, rhombic, long acutely acuminate, 3-nerved, 1.4 cm long, 0.5 cm wide. Flowers strongly incurved, very small, from the median sepal to the apex of the lateral sepal 0.86 cm diam., from the median sepal to the apex of the spur 0.95 cm diam. Median sepal horizontal, together with the petals helmet-like, ovate, obtuse, at the base shortly contracted, concave, above irregularly crenulate, 0.45 cm long, 0.28 cm wide. Lateral sepals reflexed, turned back, obliquely semiovate, somewhat falcate, obtuse, convex with a longitudinal groove, above sparsely crenulate, 3-nerved, midrib dorsally somewhat prominent, 0.58 cm long, 0.24 cm wide. Petals not adhering to the median sepal, porrect, parallel, very broadly obliquely ovate, obtuse, at the base broadly attached to the mouth of the spur, obtuse, concave, 3-nerved, midrib dorsally somewhat prominent, 0.44 cm long, 0.38 cm wide. Lip 3-lobed, spurred, blade deflexed, shortly clawed, broadly adnate to the column, with a transverse convex thickening near the base of the blade in front of the column, on the claw with a conspicuous convex thickening surrounding the mouth of the spur, lateral lobes making a narrowly acute angle with the mid-lobe, straight, linear, obtuse, 0.33-0.34 cm long, 0.07-0.08 cm wide, mid-lobe longer and broader, obtuse, convex, 0.4 cm long, 0.14 cm wide, to the base of the lip 0.68 cm long; spur pointing backwards, almost parallel to the ovary, decurved, subterete, dorsally flattened, above in front obliquely clavate-dilated, obtuse, dilated at the mouth, 0.88 cm long. Column short, bifid to about the middle, dorsally convex, 0.18 cm long; auricles in front laterally compressed, obtuse, verruculose. Anther bilobed, thecae short, dehiscent in the basal part only, anther channels short. Pollinia 2, short, pyriform, caudicle attached to the lanceolate viscidium. Rostellum broader than the mid-lobe, obtuse. Stigmatophores very short, free, obtuse. Ovary erect, deeply 6-grooved, twisted, with a rather conspicuous elongated, incurved, beak-like apical part, at the base shortly pedicellate-contracted, glabrous, in total 1.1 cm long. (After Smith, 1929)

Colours: Flower light green, outside suffused with dark brown. Spur yellowish green.

Habitat: Terrestrial in montane grassland. Altitude 3200-3260 m.

Flowering time in the wild: October.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 347-313M.JPG

Cultivation: Cool growing terrestrial, keep in light position.

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