Eulophia lenbrassii

Eulophia lenbrassii Ormerod, Oasis 2, 4 (2003) 4, fig.

Type: Brass 7848 (holo AMES)

Plant to tip of leaves 218 cm tall. Corm with roots appearing at its apical end, prostrate, ellipsoid, 5.5 cm long, 3 cm high. Pseudostem 70 cm long, formed from the leaf bases and sheaths, 5-leaved. Leaves 117-218 cm long (including the basal parts), the inner two longest, to 5 cm wide, rather rigidly grass-like. Inflorescence wrapped in the outer leaves of the pseudostem, 221 cm long, ca. 1.1 cm thick when dried; peduncle 183 cm long, 0.55 cm thick near the apex; scales half clasping the stem, oblong-ligulate, acute, 9.6 cm long; sterile bracts in the basal part of the rachis lanceolate, acute, 4.8-5.5 by 0.6 cm; rachis in total laxly 35-flowered (at least), bearing young capsules in the lower half, upper half with mature flowers and developing buds, 38cm long, 0.35 cm thick half way. Floral bracts lanceolate, acute, 2-4.5 by 0.38-0.55 cm. Ovary with pedicel terete, glabrous, 2.8-3.5 cm long, 0. 25 cm thick. Median sepal elliptic, acute, 2.8 by 1.25 cm. Petals broadly obovate, obtuse, 2.25 by 1.5 cm. Lateral sepals obliquely elliptic, acute, 2.9 by 1.2 cm. Lip 3-lobed, 2.15 cm long from apex of pseudospur to tip of epichile, 2.05 cm wide; hypochile with median callus placed in the basal part; callus fleshy, erect, horseshoe-shaped, each arm subquadrate-cuneate, 0.3 cm high, 0.25 cm wide; lateral lobes broadly obtuse-subtruncate, 1.6 by 0.75 cm; epichile subquadrate, emarginate, minutely apiculate, 0.7 cm long, 0.7 cm wide at the base, 0.65 cm wide at the apex; pseudospur or back of lip 0.85 cm long. Column slender, lightly curved, narrowly winged in apical half, 1.4 cm long, 0.21-0.22 cm wide. Column-foot 0.45 cm long. Capsules (young) 5 cm long, 0.5 cm thick. (After Ormerod, 2003).

Colours: Flowers rich yellow, lip marked with purple.

Habitat: Terrestrial in marshy places, observed growing in floating vegetation of sedges and ferns off the shore of a lake.

Flowering time in the wild: September.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 293-164M.jpg

Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial.

Note: Very distinct because of its extremely tall stature and because of the erect horseshoe-shaped callus on the lip.

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