Gunnarella carinata

Gunnarella carinata (J.J.Sm.) Senghas, Orchidee 39 (1988) 73

Basionym: Chamaeanthus carinatus

Plant small. Stem very short, 3-4-leaved, roots rather thick. Leaves somewhat recurved, obliquely linear-lanceolate, fleshy, 1-2.8 cm long, 0.24-0.5 cm wide, unequally obtusely bilobulate, above on either side of the median groove convex; keeled below, keel produced into a laterally compressed apiculum; sheaths short, tubular, laterally compressed. Inflorescence more or less lax, few- to many-flowered, surpassing the leaves; peduncle very short, slender, 0.3-0.6 cm long, rachis slender, angular, 4.3 cm long, internodes 0.2-0.6 cm long. Floral bracts very small, appressed, in outline 5-angled, acutely apiculate-acuminate, concave, dorsally keeled and verruculose, 0.1 cm long, 0.08 cm wide. Flowers 11-17, opening simultaneously, small, 0.37 cm wide, 0.43 cm long. Sepals at the base shortly subcampanulate-connate, weakly recurved, apex slightly incurved, concave. Median sepal oblong, obtuse, 3-nerved, outer nerves very thin, 0.38 cm long, 0.13 cm wide. Lateral sepals obliquely oblong, obtuse, nerves as in the median sepal, 0.35 cm long, about 0.1 cm wide. Petals obliquely sublinear, obtuse, concave, 1-nerved, 0.36 cm long, 0.08 cm wide. Lip apparently mobile, minute, not spurred, 3-lobed, recurved, laterally compressed, margin erect, channeled, below near the base transversely rounded-thickened, between the base and apex on underside rounded-ventricose keeled, oblong, towards the apex narrowed, 3-nerved, about 0.1 cm long, 0.06 cm wide; lateral lobes erect, apical part free, porrect, parallel, small, tooth-like, obliquely triangular, acute; mid-lobe porrect, recurved, slightly surpassing the lateral lobed, obtuse, concave. Column very short, thick, without anther 0.05 cm long, clinandrium deeply hollow, about semiorbicular, back wall rounded, slightly apiculate. Anther cucullate, in outline rounded-quadrangular, apex rounded-bilobulate, channel between the thecae convex, at the base rounded-bilobulate. Pollinia 4, united in two subglobose bodies, outside convex, inside almost flat, the posterior one smaller than the anterior one, stipe sessile, broadly rounded-rhombic, obtuse, convex; viscidium triangular, convex, as long as the stipe. Stigma large, deeply saccate, more or less decurrent on the column-foot, lower margin raised, subgibbose. Column-foot making an obtuse angle with the ovary, slightly incurved, linear, upper 2/5 free from the later sepals, truncate, about 0.1 cm long. Ovary 6-grooved, with the pedicel 0.15 cm long. (After Smith, 1935, as Chamaeanthus carinatus J.J.Sm.)

Colours: Leaves reddish. Flower cream coloured, pedicel reddish.

Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland forest. Altitude 175 m.

Flowering time in the wild: Not known

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 340-4M.JPG

Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.

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