Peristylus monticola (Ridl.) Seidenf., Dansk Bot. Ark. 31, 3 (1977) 35, fig 13
Basionym: Habenaria monticola
Terrestrial, erect, unbranched, shiny, 20-30 cm high; roots elongated, flexuose, shortly pilose. Stem short, leafy near the base. Leaves 3-5, erect-patent, lanceolate-ligulate, acuminate, glabrous, 3-7 by 0.8-1.3 cm. Peduncle with a few bract-like scales; rachis rather laxly 10-15-flowered, subsecund. Floral bracts lanceolate, acuminate, some shorter than the flowers, others surpassing the flowers. Flowers glabrous. Median sepal ovate-oblong, obtuse, 0.3 cm long. Lateral sepals deflexed, as long as the median sepal, subfalcate, oblong-ligulate, mid-vein on outside thickened. Petals subfalcate-oblong, obtuse, in basal third along the anterior margin adnate to the lip, somewhat shorter than the sepals. Lip 3-lobed to the middle, as long as the petals, the lateral lobes falcate-divergent, narrowly linear, subacute, 0.25 cm long; mid-lobe ovate-triangular, obtuse, about half as long as the lateral lobes; at the base of the lip with a linear callus; spur somewhat incurved, cylindrical, at the apex shallowly notched, 0.35 cm long. Rostellum small, with a tooth-like median lobe; stigmatophores cylindrical, about as long as the anther channels, slightly surpassing the staminodes. Anther at the apex obtuse, anther channels ascending. Ovary cylindrical, glabrous, c. 0.7 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914)
Colours: Flowers green, lip brownish.
Habitat: Terrestrial on open slopes in lower montane forest; 200 to 700 m.
Flowering time in the wild: May, September.
Distribution: Malesia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands, New Guinea, Philippines), Laos.
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 542-97M.JPG.
Cultivation: Intermediate growing terrestrial, requires light position.