Collabium Blume,
Bijdr. (1825) 357
Sympodial terrestrial plants with short to long rhizomes. Pseudobulbs consisting of one internode, rather slender, one-leaved. Leaves not sheathing at the base, glabrous, plicate, not deciduous, convolute, often with dark spots, thin-textured. Inflorescence a terminal raceme arising on a specialised leafless shoot. Flowers medium-sized, resupinate (often only partly so), usually somewhat asymmetric. Sepals free. Petals more or less intermediate in shape and size between the dorsal sepal and the lateral sepals. Lip without spur (but the column-foot is provided with a spur!), three-lobed, at the base with two abruptly raised fleshy crests, not mobile. Column-foot present, provided with a short spur. Pollinia 2, solid, caudicles, stipe, and viscidium absent.
Distribution
Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Pacific islands, east to Fiji. Eleven species; in New Guinea 2 species.
Habitat
Terrestrial in montane forest.
Notes
The flowers of Collabium are often half twisted (partly resupinate) and slightly asymmetric. In some species the spotted leaves are quite ornamental, but it seems that the leaves are short-lived, at least in cultivation. Collabium is related to Chrysoglossum, but the lip is not mobile and does not have pleated basal margins. The genus is uncommon in the wild and very rare in cultivation.