Agrostophyllum brachiatum

Agrostophyllum brachiatum J.J.Sm., Bull. Dép. Agric. Indes Néerl. 19 (1908) 1

Type: Versteeg 1043 a (holo BO; iso L)

Stems close together, compressed, many-leaved, 30-45 cm long. Leaves patent, half-twisted at the base, sublinear, towards the apex gradually narrowed, unequally acutely bidentate or slightly emarginate, with a small mucro, midrib grooved above, slender keeled below, coriaceous, 9-12 cm long, 1-1.35 cm wide; sheaths much longer than the internodes, conduplicate, with black margins, apex on either side with a triangular tooth. Inflorescence terminal, nodding, capitate, 2.5 cm diam., composed of several short, 5-flowered spikes. Peduncles short, 0.3 cm long. Floral bracts large, completely enveloping the ovary, soon splitting up, ovate, obtuse, 0.6-0.7 cm long. Flowers 1 cm diam. Median sepal reflexed, ovate, acute conical-apiculate, convex, at the base 3-nerved, 0.4-0.5 cm long, 0.23-0.25 cm wide. Lateral sepals divaricate, obliquely ovate, pugioniform-acuminate, keeled outside, at the base concave, 3-nerved, 0.57-0.6 cm long, 0.27-0.3 cm wide. Petals recurved, at the base ovate, in the middle narrowed, somewhat acute, obtuse, 3-nerved, 0.48 cm long, 0.17 cm wide. Lip 3-lobed, below constricted between hypochile and epichile; hypochile shortly saccate, subglobose, rounded, inside with 5 small longitudinal ribs, 0.23-0.24 cm wide; lateral lobes short, erect, at the base appressed to the column, rounded, in between with a transverse callus; mid-lobe porrect, large, in outline broadly triangular, more or less 3-lobed, obtuse, apiculate or subemarginate, erose, many-nerved, when flattened 0.3-0.37 cm long, 0.5-0.55 cm wide. Column rather slender, making an obtuse angle with the ovary, straight, apex thickened, clinandrium concave, below with 2 parallel, rather long, triangular, obtuse, arms, below the stigma somewhat thickened, flat, semiterete, 0.36 cm long. Pollinia 8, clavate, 0.08 cm long. Rostellum short, triangular, bidentate. Ovary 6-grooved, 0.53-0.6 cm long. (After Smith, 1909)

Colours: Flower white, lip with two purple markings, column at the apex with purple spots.

Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland forest. Altitude 0-900 m.

Flowering time in the wild: May, June, July.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 24-11M.JPG

Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.

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