Cleisostoma gjellerupii (J.J.Sm.) Garay, Bot. Mus. Leafl. 23, 4 (1972) 171
Basionym: Sarcanthus gjellerupii
Stem elongated, 25 cm long, rooting, leafy, internodes 1.3-1.5 cm long. Leaves patent, lorate, apex narrowed and conduplicate, narrowly unequally obtuse and minutely irregularly crenulate, at the base conduplicate, keeled below, coriaceous, when dried strongly longitudinally rugose, shiny, 7.75-9.75 cm long, 1.1-1.23 cm wide (when dried); sheaths in the basal part tubular, laterally compressed, above conduplicate, acutely keeled, when dried longitudinally ribbed, surpassing the internodes. Inflorescences two, breaking through the sheath, probably branching, laxly many-flowered, peduncle 11 cm long, with a few tubular, up to 0.43 cm long scales, rachis zigzag, angular, 5.75 cm long. Floral bracts widely patent, appressed to the ovary, triangular, acute, concave, up to 0.26 cm long. Flowers widely opening, somewhat fleshy, 1.1 cm wide. Median sepal erect, somewhat bent downwards, oblong, at the base slightly contracted, obtuse, concave, 3-nerved, 0.5 cm long, 0.24 cm wide. Lateral sepals very shortly decurrent on the column-foot, widely patent, somewhat reflexed, obliquely oblong, somewhat falcate, at the base somewhat slightly contracted, narrowly obtuse, 3-nerved, midrib dorsally obtusely thickened, 0.53 cm long, 0.25 cm wide. Petals reflexed, obliquely narrowly oblong, obtuse, convex, 1-nerved, 0.46 cm long, 0.14 cm wide. Lip at the base adnate to the column-foot, under the column porrect, 3-lobed, spurred, in total 0.7 cm long; spur pointing backwards, broadly laterally compressed, conical, obtuse, dorsally 0.25 cm long, between the lateral lobes on the front wall in the mouth of the spur with a large, transverse, erect, in front puberulous callus, on the back wall with a lamelliform, linear, porrect, at the base puberulous callus which has two recurved apical teeth, the whole being anchor-shaped; lateral lobes parallel to the column, porrect, straight, narrowly triangular, somewhat acute, shorter than the column, 0.18 cm long; mid-lobe porrect, lateral lobes clearly surpassing, hastate, thick fleshy, convex below, above at the base with a puberulous and in front somewhat narrowed concavity which ends in a longitudinal groove with somewhat raised margin, in the concavity with a very small, erect, conical callus and on either side with a low a thickening, in total 0.4 cm long, across the basal lobes 0.34 cm wide, basal lobes minute, tooth-like, obtuse, erect, mid-lobe at the base dilated, oblong, laterally somewhat compressed, flat above, convex below, obtuse. Column straight, obtuse, 0.34 cm long, clinandrium concave. Anther cucullate, transversely ovate, with a rather large, oblong, truncate beak-like projection, 0.13 cm wide. Pollinia somewhat unequal, semiglobose, united in two globose bodies, stipe linear, viscidium very small, in total 0.13 cm long. Rostellum bidentate. Stigma longitudinal, deeply concave. Ovary 6-grooved, 0.5 cm long. (After Smith, 1913, as Sarcanthus gjellerupii J.J.Sm.)
Colours: Sepals and petals greenish brown, lip white with two longitudinal violet spots at the base; column light green.
Habitat: Epiphyte in upper montane forest. Altitude 3000 m.
Flowering time in the wild: October.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 155-97M.JPG
Cultivation: Cool growing epiphyte.