Corybas palearifer (J.J.Sm.) Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 19 (1923) 22 ('paleariferus')
Basionym: Corysanthes palearifera
Subterranean stem terete, pilose. Stem above the ground erect, terete, glabrous, 1.5-2.75 cm long, at the base with a tubular, subulate-acuminate, 0.7-0.85 cm long sheath. Leaf sessile, ovate, subcordate, at the base on either side broadly rounded, glabrous, 1.7-2.2 by 1.25-1.75 cm, at the apex very shortly acuminate, mucronate, undulate, 5-nerved, transversely veined, above between the raised, underneath sunken nerves and veins concave, below convex, mid-rib above near the base slightly channelled, underneath keeled up to the apex. Inflorescence 1-flowered; peduncle very short, 0.14 cm long. Floral bract linear, gradually narrowed, acute, channelled, 0.1 cm long. Flower erect, 2 cm long. Median sepal large, erect, incurved, strongly concave, at the narrow base gradually cuneate-spathulate, at the apex rounded and crenulate-slightly wavy, at the base 3-nerved, 2.45 cm long, at the base 0.23 cm wide, at the apex slightly over 1 cm wide. Lateral sepals very small, between the spurs porrect and more or less incurved, at the base lanceolate-triangular, linear-filiform-narrowed, channelled, 1-nerved, 0.67 by 0.08 cm. Petals situated below the spurs, more or less incurved, oblique, at the base suboblong, rather abruptly linear-filiform-elongated, channelled, 1-nerved, 0.65 by 0.08 cm. Lip erect, strongly recurved, tubular-convolute, above obliquely funnel-shaped-widened, with the apical margins covering the back side, at the base 2-spurred, in front with a ventricose, strongly laterally compressed, basally rounded swelling which ends between the spurs in a small, convex rib and which inside in the bend is provided with a large, transverse, rounded, in front flat, dorsally convex, glabrous callus, front margin of the lip irregularly and rather long fimbriate, frontal part inside puberulous, strongly recurved, in front appressed to the basal part, when not flattened in total 1.8 cm long, when more or less flattened (transversely folded) 1.9 cm long, 1.5 cm wide; spurs divergent, conical, slightly dorsally compressed, obtuse, 0.3 cm long. Column short, making an obtuse angle with the ovary, slightly over 0.2 cm long, at the base provided with a dorsally compressed, truncate, at the base quadrangular callus. Anther erect, cucullate, ovate, obtuse. Stigma extended, semiorbicular-cup-shaped. Ovary sessile, curved, thickly fusiform, 6-grooved, glabrous, 0.5 cm long. (After Smith, 1915, as Corysanthes palearifera J.J.Sm.).
Colours: Flower white, median sepal dorsally with a red spot, lateral sepals and petals with dark purple lines, the lip with a yellow spot.
Habitat: Terrestrial in upper montane forest. Altitude 2300 m.
Flowering time in the wild: March.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 178-92M.JPG
Cultivation: Cool growing terrestrial.