Hetaeria oblongifolia Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 410; Tab. & Pl. Jav. Orchid. (1825) t. 14 ('Etaeria')
Type: Blume s.n. (Java, Solassie Valley, Tjanjor Prov.) (holo L; iso K)
Terrestrial. Stems erect, elongated, at the base creeping and rooting, fleshy, terete, 40 by 0.65 cm, c. 9-leaved. Leaves petiolate; petiole 3.3 cm long, sheath tubular; blade obliquely oblong, 9 by 3.9 cm, with three veins prominent below, apex acute, apiculate. Inflorescences racemose, erect, 23 cm long, laxly many-flowered, covered with downwards pointing hairs, peduncle-scales several, hairy, becoming smaller upwards. Floral bracts appressed, lanceolate, 0.75 cm long, apex pointed, outside pubescent. Ovary 0.6 cm long, not twisted, patent-pubescent, making a straight angle with the flower. Flowers not resupinated, 0.3 cm across, only slightly opening. Median sepal ovate, 0.4 cm long, patent-pubescent outside, concave, apex obtuse. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate, clasping the base of the lip, 0.4 cm long, patent-pubescent outside, apex obtuse. Petals oblong, unequal-sided, 0.3 cm long, 1-nerved, concave, somewhat wavy. Lip ovate in natural position, strongly concave, with a longitudinal grooved outside, base saccate, inside with a longitudinal keel and on either side with a few fleshy hair-like papillae, margins curved inwards, at the base touching the column, towards the apex touching each other, lip terminating in a small lobule. Column very short, in front with two parallel, narrow longitudinal lamellae with free prolonged apices; rostellum bidentate; stigma with 2 separate, cushion-shaped lobes. Anther short cordate, pointed. Pollinia 2, pear-shaped, with a longitudinal groove. (After Smith, 1905).
Colours: Sepals light green or brownish with white tips, petals white, lip yellowish white, to the apex light yellow, column greenish white .
Habitat: Terrestrial in lowland forest.
Flowering time in the wild: May, July, September, October.
Distribution: Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes, ?Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, New Guinea, Philippines, Australia, Solomon Islands, Carolines, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa.
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 362-60M.JPG
Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial, keep in shade in a humus-rich compost.