Plocoglottis longicuspis

Plocoglottis longicuspis J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 14 (1929) 350, pl. 45, fig. 11

Type: Lam 2105 (holo BO)

Roots rather thick, villose. Rhizome short, vertical, cylindrical. Pseudobulbs 3 cm long, erect, subterete, with few nodes, 1-leaved. Leaf petiolate, erect; petiole 3.75-4.25 cm long, angular-channelled, with short tubular sheath, blade 17.5 by 5-5.3 cm, lanceolate, hard-papyraceous, with 5 ribbed veins on abaxial side, base acute, tapering to petiole, apex short acute-acuminate. Inflorescence arising from the pseudobulb, erect, lax, peduncle 15.5 cm long, terete, pubescent; peduncle scales 5, rachis pubescent, internodes 0.8-1.2 cm long. Floral bracts patent, up to 1 cm long, broadly oblong-triangular, concave, dorsally pubescent, apex acute. Flowers medium sized. Sepals rather fleshy, adaxially sparsely pubescent at the base, abaxially sparsely patent pubescent. Median sepal 1.55 by 0.45 cm, lanceolate, tapering toward apex, strongly concave, with 5(-7) veins, apex narrowly obtuse. Lateral sepals 1.45 by 0.55 cm, obliquely oblong, narrowing from near the middle to the apex, strongly concave, with 7 veins, at the base along the front margin extended into a small falcate lobule clasping the spur, apex recurved, sigmoid, narrowly obtuse, long thin-apiculate. Petals 1.35 by 0.37 cm, obliquely lanceolate, somewhat falcate, tapering to apex, with 3 veins, at base somewhat narrowed, rather fleshy, basal margins thin, on both sides sulcate along the mid-vein, apex acute. Lip when not flattened 0.8 cm long, broadly rhomboid in outline (acumen rolled backward, margins entirely recurved), strongly convex, with an indistinct longitudinal groove, below strongly concave, on upper side with two triangular lamellae elastically adnate to the lower part of the column, at base with a small sac formed by column-foot and lip base, pointing backwards, somewhat recurved, laterally compressed, obtuse, continuing as a keel on underside of the lip; lip when flattened in total 1.1 by 0.68 cm, in outline (not including small sac and acumen) 6-angular, somewhat widened to the apex, with obtuse angles, rather fleshy, with 7 veins, the middle 3 extending into the acumen, margins thin, minutely erose, front margins on either side of the acumen strongly oblique, acumen 0.33 cm long, 0.2 cm wide at base, triangular, channelled, tapering to a subulate, acute point. Column dorsally 0.5 cm long, thick, slightly laterally compressed, straight, apex incurved, margins near the middle obtuse-angled, below concave, below the stigma longitudinally channelled, very sparsely pubescent on both sides, clinandrium strongly concave, apex shortly elongated, incurved, truncate. Anther 0.18 cm wide, cucullate, somewhat 5-angled-ovate, narrowly obtuse, base slightly cordate, connective thickened, ribbed. Ovary with pedicel 1.5 cm long, pubescent.(After Eang Hourt, unpublished manuscript 2004)

Colours: Leaves dark green, peduncle green, bracts brownish, sepals and petals dark red at base, tips yellow, grey-hairy, lip light yellow finely streaked red, column light yellow, ovary green.

Habitat: Terrestrial in lowland forest; 50 m.

Flowering time in the wild: January.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 564-27M.JPG.

Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.

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