Eria hawkesii A.H.Heller, Lloydia 20 (1957) 130 (nom. nov.)
Basionym: Eria bifalcis
Epiphyte, erect or patent, 35- 70 cm long; rhizome very short; roots filiform, elongated, flexuose, glabrous, very thin; stems unbranched, usually curved, entirely covered with the closely appressed leaf-sheaths, terete, 0.5-0.9 cm diameter; leaves linear or lanceolate-linear, acute, coriaceous, glabrous, 10-20 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide in the middle. Inflorescences terminal, 2-5 together, usually about as long as the upper leaves, rather densely many-flowered, peduncle stellate-finely tomentose with white hairs, with a few peduncle-scales which are similar to the bracts; bracts lanceolate, acuminate, usually longer than the flowers. Flowers erect-patent. Sepals ovate, obtuse, outside stellate-finely tomentose, 0.4 cm long. Lateral sepals at the base dilated along the front margin, mentum obtuse, short, 0.2 cm long. Petals obliquely elliptic, obtuse, glabrous, somewhat shorter than the sepals. Lip in outline suborbicular-quadrate, 0.35 cm long and as wide in the middle, at the base with an ovate, farinose-puberulous callus, in front of this with another oblanceolate callus which is decurrent up to the apex, in the middle on either side with a lanceolate-falcate, narrowly obtuse lamella, lateral lobes ovate-falcate, narrowly obtuse, mid-lobe very broadly rhomboid, shortly bilobulate, lobules in front truncate, subcrenulate, with a small apiculum in between. Column short, glabrous, median lobe of the clinandrium rounded, longer. Anther obreniform-cucullate, with a thick, very minutely papillose umbo. Ovary with pedicel subclavate, minutely stellate-finely tomentose, 0.5 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914, as Eria bifalcis Schltr.)
Colours: Flower white, lip with pink spots, anther with a brown-red swelling.
Habitat: Epiphyte in montane forest. Altitude 700-900 m.
Flowering time in the wild: June.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 282-301M.JPG
Cultivation: Intermediate growing epiphyte.