Taeniophyllum stipulaceum J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 14 (1929) 507, pl. 87, fig. 146
Type: Lam 1514 (holo BO, spirit material); para: Lam 1439 (L)
Stem short, covered with subulate scales; roots elongated, creeping, flattened, to 34 cm long, when dried 0.13-0.2 cm wide. Inflorescences fairly long, producing flowers for a long time, densely many-flowered; peduncle thin, warty, 11 cm long, with a few tubular scales, rachis thickened, more than 11 cm long, internodes 0.05 cm long. Floral bracts distichous, patent, triangular, concave, keeled, laterally flattened-subulate-produced, acute, sparsely muriculate, at the base on either side with a stipulaceous, subulate, muriculate appendage that is appressed to the rachis. Flowers opening singly, including the spur 1.25 cm long. Sepals widely patent. Median sepal oblong, obtuse, slightly concave, in the apical part somewhat fleshy, glabrous, 3-nerved, 0.35 by 0.14 cm. Lateral sepals obliquely oblong, 0.37 by 0.12 cm, obtuse, slightly apiculate, dorsally towards the apex somewhat fleshy, 1-nerved, in the apical part indistinctly 3-nerved. Petals porrect, parallel, clasping the column, broadly ovate, at the apex slightly triangular-contracted, obtuse, concave, dorsally convex, somewhat fleshy, especially towards the apex thickened, 3-nerved, 0.3 by 0.26 cm. Lip 3-lobed, spurred, fleshy, between the lateral lobes conduplicate and narrowly channelled, the small channel delimited by two almost contiguous keels, blade when flattened 0.25 by 0.2 cm, hypochile transversely angular-elliptic, suborbicular, 0.17 cm long; lateral lobes erect, angular-semi-elliptic, at the apex free, short, triangular, porrect, surpassing the column; mid-lobe very small, porrect, fleshy, laterally flattened, towards the apex dilated underneath, in outline triangular, at the base with a cavity, in lateral view triangular, underneath rounded, almost 0.1 cm long and high; spur elongated, 1 cm long, pointing backwards, parallel to the ovary, almost straight, clavate, slightly laterally flattened, in basal half thin, the upper half inflated, obtuse. Column very short, broad, dorsally convex, with two longitudinal grooves between the clinandrium and the stigma-lobes, 3-lobulate, 0.13 cm long; clinandrium deeply concave, nearly semiorbicular; stigma lobes nearly semiorbicular, deeply concave, with raised margins; rostellum almost hammer-shaped, dorsally acutely subulate, in front with two rather short, obtuse segments. Anther cucullate, at the base dilated, 0.08 cm wide, beak long, linear-oblong, near the middle obtusely slightly recurved, acute; pollinia quarter-globose; stipe spathulate, at the apex duplicate-cup-shaped, 0.1 cm long; viscidium very long, thin, narrowly linear-subulate. Ovary 6-grooved, in the grooves patently muriculate, 0.4 cm long; pedicel sparsely muriculate, 0.2 cm long. (After Smith, 1929)
Colours: Roots green, whitish below. Peduncle greenish yellow, bracts green. Flower yellow, spur yellowish white, column greenish yellow, ovary yellowish green.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lower montane forest; 1420 m.
Flowering time in the wild: October.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 676-198M.JPG.
Cultivation: Intermediate growing epiphyte.