Bulbophyllum membranaceum Teijsm. & Binn., Natuurk. Tijdschr. Ned.-Indi 5 (1853) 488
Type: Bogor cult. (Java, Mt. Salak) (holo BO)
Epiphyte, small, creeping, to 8 cm high. Rhizome elongated, terete, glabrous, densely covered with tightly clasping sheaths. Roots filiform, elongated, flexuose, glabrous. Pseudobulbs laxly spaced, depressed-ovoid, about terete, glabrous, c. 1 by 0.6-0.7 cm above the base; 1-leaved. Leaf linear-ligulate subobtuse, narrowed towards the base, weakly petiolate, coriaceous, glabrous, 5-7 by 0.7-0.8 cm near the middle. Inflorescences 1-flowered, terete, glabrous, with few sheaths, pseudobulbs as long as the rhizome. Floral bracts ovate, shortly acuminate, shorter than the ovary, glabrous. Flowers rather small in the genus, erect. Sepals erect, oblong, obtuse, or subobtuse, glabrous, 0.6 cm long. Lateral sepals subfalcate-oblique. Petals obliquely oblong, acuminate, glabrous, hardly longer than 0.2 cm. Lip fleshy, narrowly lanceolate-tongue-shaped, obtuse; keels thickened, at the base of the lip parallel, in the middle of the lip merging. Lip in total 0.25 by almost 0.1 cm above the base; above entirely rugulose- and verruculose- punctate; underneath smooth. Column short; stelidia arcuate-porrect, subulate, hardly surpassing the anther. Anther cucullate. Ovary shortly pedicellate, glabrous, subclavate, 0.8 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1905)
Colours: Median sepal pink. Lateral sepals dark purple. Petals white. Lipdark carmine-red with yellow apex.
Habitat: Epiphyte in rain forest; 10-2700 m.
Flowering time in the wild: January, March, May, June, July, August, September, October, December.
Distribution: Malesia (Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, New Guinea), Thailand, Solomon Islands.
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea; see map 96-1129M.jpg.