Oberonia plumea J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 18 (1935) 23, pl. 5, fig. 11
Type: Docters van Leeuwen 9434 (holo L, iso BO)
Very small. Stem short, 0.7-1.7 cm long, 5-6-leaved, rooting at the base; roots thin. Leaves rather widely patent, short, obliquely oblong-triangular, obtuse, at the base split and sheathing, carnose, in total 1-2.3 cm long, the not split part 0.36-0.4 cm long. Inflorescence laxly many-flowered; peduncle filiform, 0.8-1 cm long, with several small, appressed, bract-like scales; rachis thin, angular, 1.3-3.7 cm long, across the flowers 0.5-0.6 cm diam. Floral bracts appressed, concave, oblong-triangular, acuminate, with irregular margins, 0.12 cm long. Flowers arranged into pseudowhorls of 6-7 flowers, the whorls 0.3-0.4 cm apart, widely patent, very small, 0.2 cm long, with strongly revolute sepals. Median sepal ovate-triangular, subacute, 0.08 by 0.05 cm. Lateral sepals broadly obliquely ovate-triangular, obtuse, 0.07 cm long and wide. Petals erect, divergent, making an acute angle, much larger than the sepals, at the base cuneate, in outline oblong, concave, 1-nerved, almost 0.2 cm long, slightly more than 0.08 cm wide, pectinate except at the base, with the laciniae linear, somewhat irregular, papillose, becoming larger towards the apex, with especially the apical laciniae elongated. Lip small, almost at right angles to the column angle, slightly incurved, concave, weakly 3-lobed, suborbicular, shortly 3-nerved, when flattened in outline triangular and obtuse, almost quadrangular, 0.1 cm long and as wide across the lateral lobes, with a rather large basal pit; lateral lobes basal, subascending, small, obliquely subquadrangular, serrulate to shortly minutely laciniate; mid-lobe much larger, making an obtuse angles with the lateral lobes, in outline subovate-quadrangular, narrowed towards the apex, 0.07 by slightly more than 0.05 cm, obtuse, irregularly serrulate to minutely sublaciniate. Column short, on either side of the stigma dilated, at the apex notched, 0.05 cm long; wings quadrangular, truncate; rostellum porrect, quadrangular, truncate; stigma suborbicular. Anther cucullate, orbicular. Ovary very short, glabrous, 0.03 cm long; pedicel slightly more than 0.1 cm long. (After Smith, 1935)
Colours: Flowers orange, lip yellow.
Habitat: Epiphyte in swamp forest; 50 m.
Flowering time in the wild: July.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 485-283M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.