Pseuderia sympodialis J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 18 (1935) 56, pl. 11, fig. 35
Type: Docters van Leeuwen 10419 (holo BO)
Stems elongated, branched, rather slender, terete, to more than 50 cm long, branches patent or almost horizontal, internodes 1.25-1.5 cm long, the upper ones smaller. Leaves patent, ovate-lanceolate, gradually long acuminate, acute, at the base cuneate, with slightly recurved margins, rigidly coriaceous, blackish when dried, 3-5.5 by 0.9-1.5 cm, the lower ones smaller, mid-rib dorsally prominent, the other nerves less prominent; leaf-sheath tubular, as long as the internodes or a little longer, when dried prominently nerved. Inflorescences axillary, 1-1.2 cm long, dorsally perforating the leaf-sheath at its base, or arising from short, to 3 cm long, leafless, sometimes rooting branches, sympodially branched, with up to c. 5 branches, apparently mostly 1-flowered; peduncle-scales small, short, tubular; rachis thinner than the ovary. Floral bracts clasping the rachis, reflexed, above the base abruptly angular-incurved, concave, 5- or 7-angular, slightly acuminate, 3-nerved, 0.4 by 0.3 cm. Flowers 1.1 cm long. Sepals and petals cohering, parallel, somewhat fleshy. Median sepal making an obtuse angle with the ovary, incurved, concave, sublinear, obtuse, above the base slightly constricted, 5-nerved, 1.5 by almost 0.4 cm. Lateral sepals decurrent on the column-foot, obliquely linear-oblong, falcate, 1.13 cm long, in the middle 0.37 cm wide, obtuse, slightly concave, 5-nerved, mid-rib dorsally slightly thickened, near the apex strongly gibbose-thickened; mentum very short, obtuse, retuse. Petals parallel, clasping the column, linear, falcate, slightly more than 1.1 cm long, 0.24 cm wide, obtuse, concave, 3-nerved, towards the apex minutely ciliolate, at the apex inside papillose. Lip mobile, strongly recurved, broadly channelled, simple, 3-nerved, with a longitudinal, linear, convex band extending from the base to near the apex, puberulous to papillose except at the apex and along the basal margins, when not flattened 0.63 cm long, when flattened narrowly oblong, shortly broadly obtusely narrowed, narrowed at the base, truncate, 1 cm long, near the middle 0.4 cm wide, lateral nerves thickened at the base. Column slender, 0.94 cm long, curved, subterete, dorsally convex, in front slightly convex-flattened and below the stigma with a short longitudinal channel, in the apical part with narrow rather prominent margins; clinandrium near the apex contracted, fairly high, ovate, margins denticulate; rostellum porrect, transversely subquadrangular; stigma transversely quadrangular; column-foot short, making obtuse angles with the ovary and the column, straight, broader than the column, 6-angular, at the apex truncate, in the middle slightly concave, dorsally 0.15 cm, inside 0.2 cm long. Ovary 6-grooved, 0.48 cm long. (After Smith, 1935)
Colours: Flower outside green, inside red-brown.
Habitat: Epiphyte (?climber) in lowland forest; 250 m.
Flowering time in the wild: September.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia). See map: 586-16M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.