Trichotosia atroferruginea (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt, Kew Bull. 24 (1970) 92
Basionym: Eria atroferruginea
Epiphytic, patent, up to 100 cm long. Rhizome very short, roots filiform, elongated, flexuose, minutely puberulous. Stems unbranched, elongated, terete, leafy, 0.7cm diam., with the leaf-sheaths only at the base villose, otherwise glabrous, closely appressed, entirely covering the stem. Leaves erectligulate, unequally and obtusely bilobulate, glabrous, 15cm long, near the middle 23.3 cm wide, glabrous, coriaceous. Inflorescences lateral, curved-pendent, rather laxly 10flowered, very densely villose, carrying flowers to near the base, to 13 cm long. Floral bracts recurved, elliptic, obtuse, as long as the flowers or somewhat shorter. Flowers outside densely villose. Sepals ovate-oblong, apiculate, inside glabrous, 1 cm long. Lateral sepals oblique, at the base along the anterior margins lobed; mentum oblongoid, obtuse c. 0.5 cm long. Petals obliquely linearligulate, obtuse, with sparsely ciliate margins, otherwise glabrous. Lip in outline long cuneate, 1.1 cm long, near the apex 0.6 cm wide, at the base oblongligulate, near the middle 3-lobed, inside below the middle with two linearminutely papillosecalli, from the middle to near the apex with a median, linear, minutely papillosepuberulous callus; lateral lobes minute, tooth-like; mid-lobe subreniform, notched, with an obtuse apicule. Column short, column-foot ligulate; clinandrium lobes subcrenulate, short, the dorsal one triangular and somewhat longer. Anther reniformapiculate, glabrous. Ovary sessile, villose, 0.6 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914)
Colours: Hairs very dark rust-brown. Flowers brown-red, petals and lip brownish white.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lower montane forest; 1200 m.
Flowering time in the wild: May.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua New Guinea. See map: 704-3M.JPG.
Cultivation: Intermediate growing epiphyte.