Dendrobium papuanum J.J.Sm., in L.S.Gibbs, Phytogeogr. Fl. Arfak Mountains. (1917) 120.
Type: Gibbs 5712 (holo BM).
Rhizome short. Stems crowded, elongated, terete, flexuose and deeply sulcate in upper part (in dried specimen), c. 46 cm long, many-leaved, internodes 2.6 cm long. Leaf sheaths tubular, a little longer than the internodes, minutely verrucose. Leaves twisted at the base so as to lie in one plane, ovate-lanceolate, 6-7.5 by 1.2-1.9 cm, rigid, margins denticulate at apex, apex long and very sharply acuminate, long mucronate. Inflorescences arising from the nodes of leafless stems, racemose, very short, peduncle-scales with a few short tubular scales, densely c. 4-flowered. Floral bracts ovate-triangular, 0.85 cm long, apex sharply acuminate, patent. Pedicel and ovary 1.25 cm long, clavate, minutely furfuraceous-puncticulate. Flowers c. 1.4 cm long. Dorsal sepal subelliptic, 0.65 cm by 0.4 mm, concave, 3-nerved, apex obtuse. Lateral sepals with the free part ovate-triangular, 0.63 cm long, 4-nerved, front margins connate for c. 0.65 cm, apex obtuse, apiculate; mentum conical, suberect, 0.9 cm long, narrowly obtuse. Petals obliquely subelliptic-oblong, 0.65 cm by 0.27 mm, concave, 3-nerved, margins minutely erose in apical part, apex subulate-apiculate. Lip extending to the apex of the column, concave, 1.1 by 0.84 cm when flattened, base adnate to the column-foot for c. 0.4 cm, without callus, c. 5-nerved, apex cucullate, truncate, plicate, apical margin densely and shortly subulate-fringed, the 'hood' 0.37 cm deep. Column somewhat recurved, dorsally compressed, 0.26 cm long, clinandrium 3-lobulate, the median lobule curved, linear, obtuse, the lateral lobules large, quadrangular, broadly obtuse, the upper half shortly drawn out and denticulate, the lower half rounded; column-foot linear, channelled, 0.9 cm long. Anther transversely subquadrangular and slightly 6-angular in outline, 2.3 mm wide, in front drawn out, truncate and papillose. Pollinia 4, oblong, cohering in two subelliptic bodies.
(after Smith, 1917).
Colours: Flower pink.
Habitat: Epiphyte in montane forest. Altitude 2100 m.
Flowering time in the wild: December.
Distribution: New Guinea (endemic).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Sorong Regency: Arfak Mountains).
Cultivation: Cool growing epiphyte.