Plocoglottis moluccana Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 1 (1849) 47
Type: Zippel s.n. (Ambon) (holo L)
Roots 0.1-0.2 cm diameter. Rhizome creeping, 0.21-0.5 cm diameter, internodes between two stems 4-8. Stems 1.4-4 cm apart. 15-66 by 0.14-0.4 (-0.5) cm, cylindrical, rarely angular, internodes 5-17, 0.8-6.6 (-9.9) cm long; 4-12-leaved. Cataphylls 3-8. Leaves petiolate or sessile; sheaths 1.8-10 cm long; petiole sessile to 2.3 (-5.5) cm long; blade 9.3-28.4 by 1.5-3.9 cm, index 5-11, linear to lanceolate, base cuneate, apex acuminate, glabrous, with 3 (-5) prominent veins underneath. Inflorescence 1, rarely 2 per stem, 27-88 (-100) cm long, 9-30 (-35)-flowered. Peduncle 7.9-46 (59) by 0.11-0.41 cm, pubescent, internodes 4-6, 0.1-13.5 cm long; peduncle scales 0.6-6.5 cm long, tubular, apex obtuse to acuminate, sparsely pubescent; rachis 14-46 by 0.08-0.27 cm, densely pubescent, internodes 11-37, 0.3-12 cm long. Bracts; sterile bracts 1-3; floral bracts 0.38-1.39 by 0.2-0.43 cm, triangular to lanceolate, apex acuminate, densely pubescent on both sides, with 3-6 subprominent veins. Flowers up to 2 cm wide. Median sepal 1-1.58 by 0.37-0.4 (0.46) cm, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, apex acute, rarely acuminate, moderately abaxially, sparsely adaxially pubescent, moderately thick in texture, above half to apex thick, rarely thin, (3-) 6-7 (-8) distinct veins. Lateral sepals 1.1-1.63 by 0.35-0.48 (-0.63) cm, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, subfalcate, base oblique with short lobule, apex acuminate, rarely acute, moderately abaxially, sparsely adaxially pubescent, with 3-8 distinct veins. Petals 0.9-1.5 by 0.1-0.29 cm, linear to lanceolate, sometimes straight subfalcate, base parallel to broadly cuneate, apex acute, sparsely pubescent on both sides, thick in texture, sometimes thin, lateral margin thin with 1-6 (-7) distinct veins. Lip total 0.9-1.3 by 0.5-0.65 cm, adnate to column-foot with basal lamellae, subquadrangular, with 3-13 distinct veins, at base with a small sac formed by column-foot and lip base 0.1-0.21 cm long, with two basal lamellae, grooved along the median of adaxial side, with a depression between two thick keels; on the adaxial side with two keels or thickenings, these gradually becoming thinner towards apex, sometimes not clearly swollen, lateral margins in basal half thick, sometimes thin, entire, sometimes minutely erose, in upper half to apex thin, minutely erose to erose, apex subtruncate to abruptly truncate, in the middle with 0.12-0.22 cm long, triangular, subacute acumen, glabrous, sometimes sparsely pubescent on both sides. Column 0.4-0.7 by 0.15-0.3 cm, clavate, without lateral wings, sparsely abaxially pubescent, apical margin entire or minutely erose. Anther 0.15-0.2 by 0.1-0.13 cm, deltoide, sometimes ovate, apical margin minutely erose, rarely minutely erose apex obtuse, subacute to obtuse, rarely acute, glabrous, long keel. Stigma obdeltoid, rostellum ovate to elliptic. Pollinia 0.08-0.1 by 0.04-0.08 cm, half round in lateral view, oblong, caudicle 0.1-0.15 cm long. Pedicel with ovary 1-2.3 by 0.05-0.3 cm, clavate.(After Eang Hourt, unpublished manuscript 2004)
Colours: Leaves light green, glossy above, pale green below; inflorescence red-purple; sepals and petals yellow with reddish dots; lip cream, base white with a small crimson spot on each side; base white, middle crimson, apex yellow, column red-yellow, margin of stigma crimson, base whitish with purple spotted; anther yellow.
Habitat: Terrestrial in primary and secondary lowland and lower montane forest; 60 to 1600 m.
Flowering time in the wild: January, February, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, December.
Distribution: Malesia (Moluccas, New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 564-37M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.