Bulbophyllum cochlioides J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 14 (1929) 460, pl. 75, fig. 106
Type: Lam 1403 (New Guinea, Doormantop) (holo L; iso BO)
Rhizome elongated, pendulous, c. 35 cm long. Roots appressed; entirely covered with large, overlapping, tubular, distally cleft, conduplicate, acuminate to acute, prominently veined, c. 2 cm long sheaths. Pseudobulbs to c. 1.4 cm apart, adnate to the rhizome; apex for a short part free; when dried quadrangular; 1-leaved. Leaf ovate, c.4.76.7 by 2.1-2.4 cm, acute acuminate; base rounded, very shortly contracted; nerves c. 7, curved, underneath a little raised when dried. Inflorescences from the nodes of the rhizome, very short, in many-flowered (20 and more) fascicles, 1-flowered, 0.6-1.1 cm long; with small, tubular, membranous, sparsely puncticulate sheaths. Floral bract tubular, dark brown-yellow-puncticulate, 0.36 cm long, apex oblique. Flower c. 1.2 cm wide. Median sepal making an obtuse angle with the ovary, apex slightly recurved, lanceolate, gradually narrowed to the apex, acute, concave, 3-nerved, dorsally finely punctate with yellowish brown towards the base, 0.63 by 0.23 cm. Lateral sepals widely patent, obliquely oblong-triangular, acute and apiculate; base convex, the rest concave, 3-nerved, dorsally yellowish brown puncticulate especially to base. Petals very small, porrect, vertical, appressed to the column, oblong, obtuse, papillose and somewhat erose, 1-nerved, 0.27 cm long; slightly more than 0.1 cm wide. Lip ligament short, on either side notched, mobile, almost straight, tongue-shaped, lanceolate, apex narrowed, obtuse; lobes 2, erect, wide, nearly semiorbicular, rounded, fleshy towards the base, front part convex; longitudinal keels 3, warty, the outer vanishing above the middle of the lip; the median vanishing towards the base, and covered the inner surface of the outer keels which touch, leaving a canaliculated space underneath, margins of lip verruculose-papillose except near the apex, lip 3-nerved, fleshy, 0.58 by 0.16 cm. Column above the base slightly constricted, dorsally convex, in total 0.16 cm long; apex triangular obtuse; clinandrium hollow; stelidia elongated, much longer than the anther, filiform-subulate, downwards falcate. Anther high cucullate, elliptic, apex obtuse, shortly extended, margins except for the apex widely patent, 0.06 cm wide. Pollinia 4, laterally compressed, obliquely obovate with one side straight; 0.07 cm long, inner ones much smaller than the outer ones, and thinner textured; stigma longitudinal, oblong, lower margin slightly thickened. Column-foot making an obtuse to almost straight angle with the ovary, apex free from the lateral sepals, incurved and with 2 lateral lobes distally, lobes porrect, rounded, also with a median callus pointing downwards, thick, obtuse. Lip c. 0-17 cm long. Ovary 0.18 cm long; including the terete pedicel 0.63 cm, 0.33 cm above the base articulate, finely punctate with yellowish brown. (after Smith, 1929)
Colours: Leaves dull green, the midrib somewhat darker, sepals transparently light green with longitudinal rows of violet dots base, petals like the base of the calyx, lip greenish white with nodding violet spots, lobes and apical part lilac, column and ovary light greenish yellow.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland forest; 200 m.
Flowering time in the wild: September.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); see map 96-364M.jpg.
Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.