Trichotosia gautierensis (J.J.Sm.) P.F.Hunt, Kew Bull. 26 (1971) 179
Basionym: Eria gautierensis
Stems elongated, terete, appressed hairy, 8o cm long, near the middle 0.6 cm diam., leafy, internodes to 4.5 cm long, the upper ones shorter. Leaves linear, gradually narrowed towards the apex, strongly obliquely narrowly obtuse, above glabrous, underneath initially short-hairy and appressed ciliate, later more or less glabrous and with fine sunken dots, with the mid-rib grooved above, prominent below, coriaceous, to 20 by 2.4 cm (in spirit), the upper ones smaller; sheaths longer than the internodes, tubular, short-hairy, at the apex in front notched and with a few long hairs. Inflorescences short, 6- to 9-flowered; peduncle hairy, 0.8-1.5 cm long; peduncle-scales short, obliquely broadly cucullate, broadly obtuse, somewhat appressed hairy, clasping each other, becoming larger upwards, to 0.75 cm long; rachis hairy, 1.5-2.5 cm long. Floral bracts large, initially widely patent, later reflexed, ovate, narrowed at the apex, subacuminate, with narrowly obtuse tip, concave, outside hairy, to 1.15 by 0.75 cm. Flowers 1.2 cm wide, 1.35 cm long. Sepals dorsally patently hairy. Median sepal oblong, narrowed at the apex, obtusely apiculate, concave, 0.9 by 0.33 cm. Lateral sepals divergent, obliquely triangular, slightly falcate, conical-apiculate, concave, in front free, 0.83 cm long, at the base almost 0.7 cm wide; mentum straight, broadly conical, obtuse, making a right angle with the ovary, 0.46 cm long. Petals obliquely linear, slightly falcate, at the apex slightly recurved, obtuse, concave, inside especially near the margins very sparsely spiny-hairy, 3-nerved, dorsally along the mid-rib slightly thickened, 0.67 by 0.16 cm. Lip strongly recurved, 3-lobed, concave, inside below the middle with two longitudinal, very short, fleshy, dorsally flattened, glabrous keels, on the mid-lobe with a longer puberulous keel that does not reach the apex, lip when flattened in outline cuneate, 0.85 cm long, to the tips of the lateral lobes 0.33 cm long, between the lateral lobes 0.6 cm wide; lateral lobes erect, with incurved margins, concave, free part very short, rounded; mid-lobe recurved, at the apex channelled and with undulate, strongly recurved margins, when flattened broad, inversely trapezium-shaped-oblong, at the apex truncate and with a small rounded lobule, on either side with a few basal hairs, 0.33 by 0.76 cm. Column slightly curved, oblong, truncate, very sparsely and somewhat appressed pilose, 0.35 cm long; clinandrium suborbicular, concave; stigma reniform; column-foot making an almost right angle with the ovary, straight, oblong, truncate, concave, 0.4 cm long. Anther cucullate, transversely elliptic, 0.15 cm wide, connective produced into a short, rounded, flat beak; pollinia shortly obliquely pear-shaped. Ovary obconical, somewhat appressed hairy, 0.4 cm long. (After Smith, 1916)
Colours: Flower greenish white with brown hairs.
Habitat: Epiphyte in lowland and lower montane forest; 50 to 1500 m.
Flowering time in the wild: February, April, June, July, November.
Distribution: Malesia (New Guinea).
Distribution in New Guinea: Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map: 704-38M.JPG.
Cultivation: Warm growing epiphyte.