Pedilochilus piundaundense

Pedilochilus piundaundense P.Royen, Alp. Fl. New Guinea 2 (1979) 270, fig. 95

Type: NGF (Womersley) 24805 (holo L; iso LAE)

Small, up to 8 cm high, epiphytic or terrestrial herb. Rhizome long, creeping, branched, dirty white, glabrous. Pseudobulbs glabrous, rather apart, at right angle to rhizome, mainly globose, sometimes ellipsoid, 5-8 by 3-5 mm, truncate at tip and slightly sunken in, at base with 1-3 glabrous bracts, these ovate, 5-12 by 3-5 mm, acute, 1-nerved. Leaves erect, coriaceous, glabrous, but margins papillate near tip only, lanceolate, lanceolate-spathulate, rarely ovate-lanceolate, 3-6 by 0.41.1 cm, acute, base petiole-like, midrib grooved above, stoutly prominent below, lateral nerves up to 13, visible on underside only, margins subrevolute,thin. Inflorescence solitary. Peduncle glabrous, up to 9.5 cm high, at base with a tubular, up to 10 mm long glabrous bract, obliquely truncate, acute, along its entire length with 2 similar bracts. Floral bract more infundibuliform than but of the same length as the lower bracts. Pedicel glabrous, 10-13 mm long. Ovary glabrous, conoid-cylindric, 4,5-5 by 2 mm, 6-nerved. Median sepal glabrous except for a scattered pilose pubescence on outside in basal part, scattered so with longer hairs over entire inside, margins scattered glandular-papillate, obovate-lanceolate 12.5-15 by 4-5 mm, acute, 5-nerved, margin crinkled. Lateral sepals outside pilose only on the basal upper margin, on inside pilose in lower part only but finely papillate on entire surface, obliquely broadly elliptic, 18 by 7 mm, acutely acuminate, 6-nerved with 2 lateral nerves in the upper, 3 in the lower part. Lateral petals glabrous, obliquely quadrangular, 5-7 by 3-3.5 mm, sigmoid, acute, lower wing wider than upper wing, 7-nerved, nerve widely winged, margin wavy, scattered punctulate. Lip glabrous, 12 by 5 mm, oblong-obovoid in outline, epichilium triangular-cordate, 3 by 3 mm, obtuse, mesochilium 10 by 5 mm, 5-nerved, midrib crested on inside, hardly grooved on outside, hypochilium at tip with 2 lateral falcate-oblong, 1.5 mm long, slightly compressed, clinandrium entire. Stelidia subulate, $igmoid, 2 mm long, at their base along upper margin with a small tooth. Anther cucullate, 0.8 by 0.5 by 0.2 mm, connective thickened and finely papillate along apical part only. Pollinia obliquely elliptic, 0.5 mm long, grooved. Column-foot short, curved, at tip with a shallow crest. Capsule not seen. (After van Royen, 1979)

Colours: Flowers pale brown or yellowish with purple spots or longitudinal streaks, lateral petals purple brown.

Habitat: Epiphyte; 3480 m.

Flowering time in the wild: August.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea; see map 534-30M.jpg.

Cultivation: Cool growing epiphyte, requires light position.

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