Trichoglottis sororia Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1913) 993
Type: Schlechter 16576 (holo B, lost; iso AMES, BO, L, NSW)
Epiphytic, pendent, to 50 cm long; roots filiform, flexuose, glabrous. Stems not or sparsely branched, densely leafy, c. 0.3 cm diam., covered with the striate-veined leaf-sheaths. Leaves subpatent, narrowly ligulate-lanceolate, subacute, 7-11 cm long, near the middle 1.2-1.5 cm wide. Inflorescences very short, subsessile, few-flowered. Floral bracts deltoid, minute, much shorter than the ovary. Flowers opening in succession, glabrous. Sepals patent, 0.8 cm long. Median sepal oblong, subobtuse. Lateral sepals obliquely rhombic-elliptic, obtuse. Petals obliquely ligulate, subacute, somewhat narrowed towards the base, a little shorter than the sepals. Lip 5-lobed, almost as long as the sepals; the basal lateral lobes very small, obliquely rhombic-truncate, the frontal lateral lobes twice as large, rhombic-square, with more or less undulate-crenate margins; mid-lobe fleshy, oblong, subobtuse, keeled-thickened; spur short, cylindrical-conical, obtuse, slightly incurved, inside dorsally with a linear, obtuse appendage, inside in front callose-thickened. Column short, thick. Anther rhombic-cucullate, dorsally with three humps, apex acute; pollinia four, equal-sized; stipe at the base filiform, cucullate-dilated, more than twice as long as the pollinia; viscidium minute, rounded. Ovary cylindrical, glabrous, shortly pedicellate, c. 0.5 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914)
Colours: Flowers white with pink transverse bands, lip pure white.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland and hill forest, also in Metroxylon swamps; 30 to 900 m.
Flowering time in the wild: January, February, March, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea), Solomon Islands.
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 701-86M.JPG.