Moerenhoutia lamellata

Moerenhoutia lamellata (Schltr.) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 56 (1921) 450

Basionym: Platylepis lamellata

Terrestrial, ascending, up to 30 cm high. Rhizome decumbent, stem-like, Roots elongated, flexuose, villose. Stem straight or weakly flexuose, leafy at the base, glabrous, terete, above the base with a few, distant, clasping sheaths, towards the rachis glandulose-puberulous. Leaves 3-5, almost rosulate, closely spaced, erect-patent, petiolate; blade broadly ovate, acuminate, rounded at the base, glabrous on both sides, 4-7 cm long, below the middle 3-4.5 cm wide; petiole dilated at the base, sheathing, glabrous, 1.7-2.5 cm long. Rachis erect, rather laxly 6-12-flowered, subsecund, up to 8 cm long. Floral bracts erect-patent, elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, usually slightly more than half as long as the ovary. Flowers erect-patent or suberect. Sepals oblong, obtuse, glabrous, concave, 0.9 cm long; lateral sepals oblique. Petals at the base ligulate-clawed, obliquely rhombic, obtuse, glabrous, along the inner margins cohering with the median sepal, 0.8 cm long. Lip as long as the petals, near the middle 0.35 cm wide, at the base bladder-shaped-cucullate and adorned with two warty globules, with two parallel median lamellae extending from the base to the middle, lip at the basal third abruptly strongly constricted, above the constriction forming a cucullate-ovoid blade, in front extended into a subquadrate, broadly obtuse, small, c. 0.2 cm long lobule. Column slender, in front with two wings; rostellum erect, acute, larger, bifid. Anther lanceolate-cucullate, at the base cordate, glabrous. Ovary cylindrical, glabrous, c. 1 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914)

Colours: Leaves light green with darker veins. Flowers green, lip brownish yellow with white apical lobule.

Habitat: Terrestrial in lower montane forest; 1000 m.

Flowering time in the wild: March, July.

Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea), Solomon Islands.

Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 455-8M.JPG.

Cultivation: Intermediate growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.

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