Eria dentrecasteauxii

Eria dentrecasteauxii Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 44, Beibl. 101 (1910) 25 ("d'Entercasteauxii")

Type: Micholitz s.n. (d'Entrecasteaux Isl., Normanby Isl.) (holo B, lost)

Stems very long (part seen 50-60 cm long but the whole plant undoubtedly much longer), pendulous?, rigid, many-leaved. Leaf-sheaths above obliquely cut, brown, not shiny; leaf-blade linear-lanceolate, acuminate, apex itself somewhat obtuse, bilobulate, to 15 by 1-1.2 cm Racemes closely spaced, covered with ovate, acute bracts. Flowers apparently always single. Ovary 1.2-1.5 cm long, scabrous, entirely covered with minute papillae. Median sepal oblong, 1 by 0.5-0.6 cm, acute. Lateral sepals at the base very broadly ovate, falcate, deflexed, shortly pointed, in various ways twisted and involute; mentum only slightly prominent, rounded, 0.4 cm long, saccate. Petals obovate-oblong, 1 by 0.5-0.6 cm, obtuse. Lip very broad, 0.6 by 0.4 cm, lateral lobes large, rounded, mid-lobe much smaller, short, reflexed below the disc, obtuse, with an undulate lamella from the base almost to the middle, on either side in the sinus with a minute lamella. Column rather long for the flower, slightly curved, on the column-foot with a densely papillose, fairly high, above emarginate tubercle in front of the lip base. Anther distinctly 8-locular. (After Kraenzlin, 1910).

Colours: Flower white, marked with purple.

Habitat: Not known.

Flowering time in the wild: March.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea), D'Entrecasteaux Isl.

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 282-204M.JPG

Cultivation: Not known.

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