Agrostophyllum earinoides

Agrostophyllum earinoides Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1912) 261

Type: Schlechter 18796 (holo B, lost); neo: NGF 34922 (L; isoneo AMES, CANB, K, LAE), chosen by Weijnen & de Vogel

Plant epiphytic or terrestrial, to c. 160 cm long. Stems erect, hardly flattened, 8-25 mm wide over the leaf sheaths, from base to top gradually narrowing. Leaf sheath loose around the stem, extending to the base of the second or third one above, at the top of the stem extending to the base of the next one above, 2.7-8.7 cm long; with a tubular basal part in which a 1-8 cm long incision, width of margin to midrib 7-18 mm; top margin at the articulation not drawn out into a tooth-like projection. Leaf blade erect, linear, rarely linear-lanceolate, (7.0-)9.0-44.4 by (0.8-)l.0-2.0 cm, index 8.3-21.7(-35.7); base not twisted, upper side of the leaf blades not or only with the top part turned to one side of the plant; top acute, gradually tapering, its tip equally or unequally bilobed, sometimes acute or obtuse, rarely with a minute mucro. Inflorescence (15-)22-58 cm long, with 10-50 internodes of which the ones at the base of the inflorescence are up to 4 cm long; partial inflorescences (l-)8-15(-20) per bract first order, arranged in dense, often globular, tufts. Bracts first order when young overtopping the partial inflorescences, more or less narrowly triangular, those at the base of the inflorescence to 3-6 (-8) cm long, c. 2 internodes long, hardly folded along the midrib, papery, with not or partly dark-coloured margin, when older partly or completely disintegrating or slit along the midrib. Partial inflorescences laterally emerging from the slit or pushing the bract first order aside; each 1-flowered, with 4 normal bracts second order of which the lowest 3 are sterile and sometimes at the base with several additional, tiny, sterile bracts second order; axis 0.5-3.0 mm long. Bracts second order 2-8 mm long. Flowers widely open or rather closed; mentum pronounced, obtuse, 2.5-4.0 mm long. Pedicel and ovary 6-9 mm long. Median sepal concave, ovate, not recurved, 4.0-6.2 by 2.0-3.5 mm, index 1.5-2.4; top acuminate; nerves (4-)5, all more or less prominent, pronounced to the top. Lateral sepals asymmetric, more or less connate at the base, attached along the entire column foot, sometimes clasped by the groove in the saccate base of the hypochilium, sometimes recurved, 6.5-9.0 by 2.3-4.0 mm, index 2.0-3.5; base saccate, surrounding the base of the hypochilium; top acuminate; nerves 5-7, all prominent, pronounced to the top, midrib a low rounded, to the top pronounced keel. Petals symmetric, ligulate, 3.5-6.0 by 1.2-2.3 mm, index 2.0-3.7; top obtuse to acute with an acute to acuminate or rarely rounded tip; 3 or 5-nerved. Lip 7.2-10 mm long; hypochilium shallowly boat-shaped, 3.0-4.0 by 1.3- 2.0 by 1.0-2.0 mm, inside with 3 swollen ribs; base hardly saccate, almost flat, at the back with a groove; lateral lobes low, in front broadly rounded; callus far overtopping the lateral lobes, papillate, its top not curved, truncate with irregularly incised top margin, or top distinctly bilobed with broad rounded lobes with an obtuse or bilobed top, or with narrow triangular or ligulate lobes with a rounded top; epichilium concave, ovate to orbicular, 3.5-6 by 3.5-5 mm, index 1.0-1.3; margin curved upwards, slightly and rather regularly indented or almost entire, hardly undulate; top acuminate to slightly so, rarely obtuse because the acuminate tip is curved backwards; median at the base with 2 low to rather high longitudinal thickenings, towards the top often with a shallow longitudinal groove. Column widened around the stigma, excluding column foot and anther 2.5-3.7 by 1.0-2.5 mm; in front just below the stigma depressed but without cross-groove and with a longitudinal, elevated band of tissue which sometimes widens and continues in the column foot; laterally on either side with a ridge which is next to the stigma drawn out into a small, rounded to triangular, stelidium-like lobe; column-foot very long and slender, with a shallow, narrow or rather broad longitudinal groove, rarely smooth, 1.5-3.0 by 1.0-1.5 mm, slightly tapering to the top. Anther about globose, c. 0.9 by 11 mm. Pollinia obovoid, 0.7-1.0 by 0.2- 0.4 mm. Stigma in outline about quadrangular with a lateral depression on either side near the top, 1.0-2.0 by 1.0-2.0 mm; rostellum folded to the front, median notched, sometimes with a tiny apicula on both sides of the notch. Fruit with at least the column on top persistent; body c. 9 by 3 mm. (after Weijnen and de Vogel, unpublished manuscript)

Colours: Leaves (dull) dark-green or yellowish-green. Bracts brown. Flowers (creamy-)white, base of midlobe of lip golden-yellow or suffused orange-yellow. Pollinia yellow. Fruit dark-brown.

Habitat: Epiphytic in forest (submontane rainforest, sometimes adjacent to grassland) or terrestrial (rocky outcrops above road, Miscanthus grassland). Altitude 1500 to 2600 m.

Flowering time in the wild: January, April to September, December.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 24-35M.JPG

Cultivation: Cool growing terrestrial or humus-epiphyte, requires humus-rich but well-drained soil, and light shade.

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