Mediocalcar pygmaeum

Mediocalcar pygmaeum Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1911) 233

Roots densely covered with root hairs, 0.5-1 mm thick. Rhizome creeping, sparsely to frequently branching, 1-1.5 mm thick. Cataphylls 5-11, subacute to acute, keeled, glabrous. Pseudobulbs largely adnate to the rhizome, 3-20 mm apart, ellipsoid to ovoid, base more or less elongated, 3-10 mm long, 2.5-4 mm across, enveloping or sometimes clasping the rhizome, free top 1-5 mm long. Leaves two, sometimes three per pseudobulb, sessile to shortly petiolate, elliptic to broadly elliptic (index 2-3.8), 1-2 cm by 4-6.5 mm; petiole less then 1 mm long; margins subentire to crenulate; apex rounded, bilobulate, with the mucro about as long as the lobules; coriaceous to carnose. Inflorescences solitary or in pairs, synanthous, at the base with an inconspicuous scale 1 mm long. Peduncle 3-12 mm long, at the apex with a triangular bract 1 mm long. Pedicel and ovary 9-10 mm long. Flowers narrowly urceolate, slightly oblique, 8-9 mm long. Synsepalum c. 9 mm long and c. 12.5 mm wide when cut open and flattened; free tips subpatent to reflexed, 3 mm long, obtuse. Lateral sepals smooth or keeled. Petals linear to oblanceolate (index 6.6) 8 by 1.2 mm.; apex acute; 1-nerved. Lip 8 by 3.5 mm in natural position, the blade broadly ovate when flattened; claw more or less sigmoid, 4.6 by c. 2 mm, auricles inconspicuous; apex acute, straight; margins erect, clasping the column; spur cucullate to shortly saccate, c. 1 mm deep. Column clavate, 5.2 mm long; foot incurved, c. 1.5 mm long. Fruit not seen. (After Schuiteman, 1997)

Colours: Flowers red, orange or orange-yellow with yellow, yellowish green or green tips. Pseudobulbs yellowish green, leaves olive-green.

Type: Schlechter 19708 (holo B, lost; lecto K, chosen by Schuiteman 1997; iso AMES, BO, L)

Habitat: Epiphyte in montane forest; 1200-2850 m.

Flowering time in the wild: January, April, May, June, July, November, December.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 436-40M.JPG.

Cultivation: Cool growing epiphyte, requires shaded position.

Notes: A dwarf, long creeping species with pairs (more rarely triplets) of very small, elliptic to broadly elliptic leaves. Mediocalcar stevenscoodei is like an enlarged version of this.

%LABEL% (%SOURCE%)