Peristylus silvicola (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt, Kew Bull. 26 (1971) 177
Basionym: Habenaria silvicola
Terrestrial, erect, unbranched, 35-65 cm high; tubers oblongoid; roots filiform, elongated, flexuose, villose. Stem straight or nearly straight, terete, glabrous, in the basal half covered with c. 5 sheaths, above the middle densely leafy. Leaves 5-6, patent, almost rosulate, elliptic, acuminate, glabrous, 10-24 cm long, near the middle 4-8 cm wide; rachis densely many-flowered, cylindrical, sometimes very short, to 10 cm long, c. 2 cm diam. across the flowers. Floral bracts lanceolate, acuminate, glabrous, sometimes equalling, sometimes surpassing the flowers. Sepals oblong obtuse, outside sparsely granulose-punctate, 0.5 cm long. Lateral sepals somewhat oblique. Petals obliquely ovate obtuse, in upper half narrowed along the anterior margin, about as long as the median sepal, at the base adnate to the column. Lip in outline broadly obovate, in apical third 3-lobed, the lobes equally long, triangular, obtuse, about 0.5 cm long; spur obovoid, obtuse, 0.2 cm long. Rostellum short, in the middle with a short hollow lobe; staminodes linear-falcate, small; stigmatophores somewhat thickened, slightly falcate, longer than the anther channels. Anther at the apex slightly retuse, anther channels short. Ovary cylindrical, glabrous, c. 1 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914)
Colours: Flowers light bluish green.
Habitat: Terrestrial in lower montane forest; 1000 m.
Flowering time in the wild: August.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 542-135M.JPG.
Cultivation: Intermediate growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.