Tropidia multinervis Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1911) 91
Type: Schlechter 19230; 19937 (holo B, lost; iso L)
Terrestrial, erect, 7-20 cm high, few-stemmed. Rhizome erect, short; roots filiform, elongated, flexuose, sparsely puberulous or almost glabrous. Stems unbranched, 4- to 8-leaved, leafy up to the apex, entirely covered with angular-plicate, long-clasping leaf-sheaths. Leaves patent, elliptical, acuminate, plicate, many-veined, 3.5-8.5 cm long, at or below the middle 1.5-3 cm wide, distinctly longer than the internodes. Inflorescence short, pedunculate, erect or curved, sometimes with a single basal branch, distichous, up to 20-flowerd, 3 cm long. Floral bracts distichous, conduplicate, patent or divergent, broadly ovate, acuminate, longer than the ovary. Flowers erect-patent, outside covered with brown appressed scales. Sepals lanceolate-ligulate, 0.4 cm long. Lateral sepals falcate-obtuse, mid-vein outside keeled-thickened. Petals obliquely lanceolate, subobtuse, mid-vein outside thickened, puberulous, otherwise glabrous, a little shorter than the sepals. Lip in outline ovate, about as long as the petals, concave, at the base somewhat saccate and with thickened mid-vein inside, at the apex with incurved margins, deflexed, subacute. Column slender; stigma in front with hyaline margin. Anther ovate-cordate, cucullate, dorsally with a lanceolate umbo. Ovary cylindrical, 0.9 cm long, sparsely covered with black scales. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914)
Colours: Flowers whitish yellow.
Habitat: Terrestrial in lowland forest; 20 to 500 m.
Flowering time in the wild: March, April, July, August.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 707-28M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.