Ceratostylis angiensis

Ceratostylis angiensis J.J.Sm. in L.S.Gibbs, Phytogeogr. Fl. Arfak Mts. (1917) 116

Type: Gibbs 5718 (holo BM)

Stems closely spaced, terete, 12.5-15 cm long, when rehydrated 0.17 cm diam.; sheaths basal, tubular, becoming larger upwards, clasping each other, when dried membranous, laxly reticulate-veined, brown, to 2.25 cm long. Leaf erect, subulate-terete, subacute, in front slightly longitudinally ribbed with a very thin groove, 2.7 cm long, when rehydrated 0.13 cm diam.; sheath tubular, in front torn open, 0.3 cm long. Inflorescences fascicled, several-flowered, scaly, peduncles thin, 1-flowered, 0.3 cm long, at the base subtended by a small, broad, obtuse, membranous, 0.26 cm long scale. Floral bract broadly cucullate, obtuse, much shorter than the ovary, membranous, 0.14 cm long. Flowers very small, slightly over 0.4 cm long. Sepals dorsally sparsely pubescent. Median sepal oblong, obtuse, 3-nerved, 0.25 cm long, slightly over 0.1 cm wide. Lateral sepals with an obliquely oblong, concave, lobule decurrent on and distinctly surpassing the column-foot, blade obliquely oblong, apex narrowed, obtuse, 3-nerved, 0.24 cm long, lateral sepals in total almost 0.4 cm long, 0.13 cm wide; mentum pointing backwards, parallel with the ovary, oblong, at the apex slightly inflated, obtuse, slightly more than 0.1 cm long. Petals obliquely oblong, subacute, slightly falcate, 1-nerved, 0.2 cm long, almost 0.07 cm wide. Lip making an almost straight angle with the column-foot, parallel with the column, at the base very slightly extended beyond the apex of the column-foot, above the base slightly recurved, concave, distinctly surpassing the column, at the base clawed-narrowed, in apical third contracted, carnose-thickened and on either side convex, obtuse, in the middle part with incurved and finely ciliate margins, 3-nerved, inside up to the middle with two raised, puberulous, parallel lines, when flattened 0.35 cm long, in the middle 0.14 cm wide, the thickened apex slightly over 0.1 cm long, almost 0.1 cm wide. Column bifid beyond the middle, 0.14 cm long, arms parallel, oblong, obtuse, outside convex, inside concave. Anther cucullate, transversely suboblong-elliptic, 0.06 cm wide, apex truncate. Column-foot pointing backwards, making an acute angle with the ovary, 0.1 cm long, at the apex free from the lateral sepals, obtusely angled-incurved. Ovary pubescent, 0.38 cm long. (After Smith, 1917).

Colours: Flower white.

Habitat: Epiphyte in upper montane forest. Altitude 2100 m.

Flowering time in the wild: December.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 125-11M.JPG

Cultivation: Cool growing epiphyte.

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