Spathoglottis latifolia (Gaudich.) Garay & Ormerod, Oasis 2, 1 (2001) 6
Basionym: Bletia latifolia
Leaves lanceolate-linear, apical part gradually long narrowed, sharply acute, at the base gradually narrowed into the petiole, below with c. 7 prominent nerves and numerous smaller nerves, firmly papyraceous, 64 cm ['6.4'] long, 3 cm wide; petiole channelled, ribbed-veined, 12.5 cm long. Inflorescence densely many-flowered, with the flowers turned to all sides; peduncle densely woolly-pilose, more than 11 cm long; rachis 12.5-19 cm long, indument as for peduncle, internodes 0.25-0.8 cm long. Floral bracts patent to widely patent, not reflexed, persistent, subelliptic, concave, almost boat-shaped, 1.2 by 0.6 cm, base broadly sessile, very shortly acutely acuminate, on both sides shortly puberulous, 9-11-nerved, mid-rib dorsally thickened. Flowers 60 or more, large. Median sepal lanceolate-elliptic, 2.8 by almost 1 cm, obtuse, minutely obtusely apiculate, outside puberulous, several-nerved. Lateral sepals with the back margin recurved, obliquely oblong-subelliptic, 2.5 by 1 cm, obtuse, tip conical-apiculate, at the base slightly contracted, the mid-rib almost sigmoid, front margin obtusely angled, outside puberulous. Petals obliquely subelliptic-oblong, 2.75 by 1.1 cm, obtuse, at base shortly narrowed, dorsally very sparsely puberulous. Lip porrect, 3-lobed, 3-nerved, at the base between the lateral lobes with 3 small longitudinal ribs, when flattened 1.93 cm long, between the tips of the lateral lobes c. 2 cm wide; lateral lobes erect, when spread making a right angle with the mid-lobe, obliquely linear-oblong, 0.95 cm long, at the base 0.5 cm wide, in the middle 0.38 cm wide, just below the apex 0.48 cm wide, front margin almost straight, at base slightly dilated, back margin at the apex subrounded-dilated, apex obliquely truncate; mid-lobe porrect, spathulate, 1.2 cm long, claw linear, convex, slightly thickened along the mid-vein, but without knee-like swelling, c. 0.1 cm wide, terminal blade cuneate-obcordate with angular-rounded lobules, 0.7 by 0.85 cm; callus at base of mid-lobe erect, bilobed, the lobes of the callus somewhat obliquely elliptic, outside concave, inside convex, partly pilose; lobules on either side of the callus reflexed, triangular, obtuse, inside especially near the base pilose, lip across the lobules 0.5 cm wide. Column slender, curved, towards the apex narrowly winged-dilated, dorsally convex, concave below, apex extended, obtuse, without anther 1.35 cm long; clinandrium deeply concave triangular, foot short, making a right angle with the ovary, transversely quadrangular, truncate, concave. Rostellum triangular, convex, with a longitudinal rib. Stigma shortly triangular, upper margins truncate, concave. Ovary densely puberulous. (After Smith, 1934, as Spathoglottis patentibractea J.J.Sm.)
Colours: Not recorded.
Habitat: Terrestrial in lowland forest.
Flowering time in the wild: June.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 652-86M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.