Pseudoliparis raciborskii Szlach. & Marg., Adansonia 21 (1999) 279
Type: van Royen & Sleumer 7306 (holo L), from Indonesia, Papua, Kebar Valley
Terrestrial. Pseudobulbs 2.4-4.8 cm long, to 0.1 cm diam., fusiform, erect or ascending, 4- to 7-leaved. Leaves petiolate; blade 2.1-9.4 by 0.45-1.1 cm, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acute to shortly apiculate; petiole to 1.2 cm long, channelled, sheathing. Inflorescence 7.3-28.5 cm long, erect; rachis 3.3-19 cm long, c. 60- to 100-flowered, dense. Floral bracts 0.2-1 cm long, linear-lanceolate to narrowly triangular, apiculate, auriculate at base or not. Flowers small, not resupinate, fleshy. Median sepal 0.3-0.34 by 0.16-0.21 cm, oblong-ovate to elliptic-ovate, subacute, slightly cochleate, subcucullate, 3-nerved. Petals 0.29-0.32 by 0.15-0.2 cm, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-ovate, acute, 1-nerved. Lateral sepals 0.3-0.34 by 0.18-0.25 cm, obliquely ovate, acute to subacute, slightly cochleate, subcucullate, 3-nerved. Lip 0.3-0.38 by 0.23-0.28 cm, ecallose, semi-ovate, subobtuse, shortly auriculate; basal auricles to 0.05 cm long, falcate, ovate, obtuse. Column to 0.2 cm long, with a prominent dorsal ridge. Pedicel and ovary 0.2-0.23 cm long, slender. (After Szlachetko & Margonska, 1999)
Colours: Leaves green. Flowers yellowish to brownish yellow.
Habitat: Terrestrial in lowland and hill forest; 100 to 600 m.
Flowering time in the wild: April, November.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. But see notes below. See map: 587-13M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial, keep in shaded position.
Notes: Szlachetko & Margonska cited two collections when they described Pseudoliparis raciborskii: van Royen & Sleumer 7306 (holotype) from the Vogelkop Peninsula in the extreme west of New Guinea, and Brass 25567 (paratype) from Normanby Island in the extreme east of New Guinea. These localities are about 2100 km apart. The protologue description is based on both collections. Even a cursory glance at the two sheets confirms the suspicion that almost certainly two different species are involved: the holotype specimen is overall much smaller, with smaller flowers, and has fruits with pedicels about as long as the capsule, whereas the paratype has fruits with pedicels less than half as long as the capsule. Considering the paucity of the material we did not analyse the very few remaining flowers; unfortunately, Szlachetko & Margonska failed to preserve the material they used for their analysis.
We consider this to be a species of Malaxis, but to the best of our knowledge there is no name available under this genus.