Taeniophyllum apiculatum J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 18 (1935) 80, pl. 16, fig. 54
Type: Docters van Leeuwen 9288 (holo BO)
Stem short; roots elongated, narrow, flattened, 50 cm long, when dried 0.1-0.13 cm wide. Inflorescences very short, producing flowers for a long time, many-flowered, 2.5 cm long; peduncle short; rachis and floral bracts covered with branched prickly outgrowths, rachis across the bracts 0.28 cm wide, flexuose, internodes 0.1 cm long. Floral bracts distichous, widely patent, clasping the rachis, triangular, concave, dorsally keeled towards the apex, 0.1-0.13 cm long along the dorsal side. Flowers opening at intervals. Median sepal patent, incurved, concave, at the base oblong-ovate gradually narrowed, truncate, 3-nerved, 0.47 by 0.16 cm. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate-oblong, narrowed towards the apex, 0.38 by 0.14 cm, obtuse, concave, 3-nerved, dorsally keeled, with the keel sparsely irregularly dentate. Petals like the median sepal patent, incurved, concave, obliquely ovate-lanceolate, slightly falcate, gradually narrowed towards the apex, narrowly obtuse, 1-nerved, 0.4 by 0.14 cm. Lip entire, spurred, including the spur 0.46 cm long, the basal margins sigmoid; blade porrect, appressed to the column and distinctly longer, 0.3 by 0.2 cm, at the apex slightly incurved, concave, in outline oblong-quadrangular, somewhat narrowed towards the apex, with rounded angles, when flattened elliptic, with an obtuse apicule, mouth of the spur longitudinally elongated, on either side delimited by a longitudinal, fairly broad, thickened band with a transverse basal thickening; spur saccate, large, short, pointing backwards, appressed to the ovary, laterally flattened, in lateral view rounded-subtrapezoid, at the apex rounded-obtuse, dorsally 0.15 cm long, 0.2 cm high. Column very short, dorsally convex, to the apex of the rostellum 0.28 cm long; clinandrium concave; lobules of the stigma at the base of the column, short, obtuse; rostellum large, porrect, channelled, basal part underneath convex, rather shortly obtusely bilobulate. Anther cucullate, much shorter than the rostellum, cordate-ovate, rostrate, thin, 0.17 cm long, almost 0.1 cm wide, at the base short-reniform; beak conspicuous, broader than the basal part, triangular, subacute, convex, slightly recurved; thecae very small, orbicular; pollinia slightly flattened, obliquely obovate-elliptic; stipe broadly linear, with revolute, almost contiguous, subtubular margins, at the apex reflexed, slightly obliquely plate-shaped; viscidium narrowly oblong, 0.1 cm long, convex, obtuse; the whole pollinarium 0.25 cm long. Ovary pedicellate, curved, 6-grooved, in the grooves slightly furfuraceous, 0.26 cm long. (After Smith, 1935)
Colours: Flower light yellow.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland forest; 100 m.
Flowering time in the wild: May.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 676-11M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.