Orchids of New Guinea

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Phaius flavus

Phaius flavus (Blume) Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. (1831) 128

Type: Blume s.n. (Mt. Gede) (holo L)

Synonyms:

Limodorum flavum Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 375
- Type: Blume s.n. (Mt. Gede) (holo L)
Bletia flava Wall. ex Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. (1831) 127
Bletia woodfordii Hook., Bot. Mag. 54 (1827) t. 2719
- Type: Kew cult. (Woodford) s.n. (1820, 'Trinidad', certainly wrong)
Phaius woodfordii (Hook.) Merr., J. Arnold Arbor. 29 (1948) 211
Hecabe lutea Raf., Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836, publ. 1838) 44 (as nom. nov.)
Phaius maculatus Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. (1831) 127 , nom. illeg.
- Type: Wallich 3748 (holo K-LINDL.; iso K)
Phaius crispus Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 2 (1856) 180
- Type: Kuhl & van Hasselt s.n. (Java, Pontjak Tenge) (holo L)
Phaius flexuosus Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 2 (1856) 179
- Type: Kuhl 217 (Java) (holo L; s.n. L)
Phaius minor Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 2 (1856) 181
- Type: Blume s.n. (holo L)
Phaius platychilus Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 1 (1856) 201, t. 76, fig. III, 4-6
- Type: Zollinger 434 (holo W)
Phaius bracteosus Rchb.f., Bonplandia 5 (1857) 42
- Type: Zollinger 434 (Java, Bandung) (holo W)
Phaius celebicus Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10 (1911) 68
- Type: Schlechter 20507 (Sulawesi) (holo B, lost)
Phaius undulatomarginatus Hayata, Icon. Pl. Formos. 4 (1914) 59, fig. 27
- Type: Kanehira s.n. (V-1912, Taiwan, Shintengai)
Phaius flavus (Blume) Lindl. var. papuanus J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 12, 3 (1915) 205
- Type: Gjellerup 1098
Phaius somai Hayata, Icon. Pl. Formos. 6 (1916) 74
- Type: Hayata & Soma s.n. (V-1916, Taiwan, Urai)
Phaius minor f. punctatus Ohwi, Bull. Natl. Sci Mus. Takyo 33 (1953) 70. Type Kadi s.n. (Shikoku) (holo MSM (TI) 23721)
Phaius flavus (Blume) Lindl. f. punctatus (Ohwi) K. Nackej., Biol. Mag. (Okinawa) 13 (1981) 33
Paraphaius flavus (Blume) J.W. Zhai, Z.L. Liu, F.W. Xing, Molec. Phylog. Evol. 77 (2014) 221

Pseudobulbs conical, angular, with few internodes, 5 cm long, 1.7 cm diam., in the basal part covered with cataphylls, at the apex narrowed into a pseudostem formed by the overlapping leaf-sheaths, c. 4-leaved. Leaves linear-lanceolate, towards the apex long narrowed, acute, underneath with c. 5 prominent main nerves, with numerous thin veins in between, 13-25 cm long, 1.6-2.5 cm wide; sheaths tubular, angular, 12-13 cm long. Inflorescences arising from the basal part of the pseudobulbs, above a leaf-axil, erect, elongated, laxly few-flowered; peduncle subterete, 33 cm long, in the basal part 0.6 cm diam.; peduncle-scales small, c. 6, becoming larger upwards and more distant, tubular, shortly acuminate, furfuraceous, to 3.2 cm long; rachis grooved, sparsely furfuraceous, 5.5 cm long or more. Floral bracts persistent, lanceolate-triangular, acuminate, concave, with dorsally prominent mid-rib, furfuraceous, to 2.1 cm long, at the base 0.75 cm wide. Flowers c. 7. Sepals dorsally sparsely furfuraceous-punctate. Median sepal narrowly oblong, in the apical part slightly dilated, obtuse, concave, 7-9-nerved, 3.1 by 1 cm. Lateral sepals obliquely oblong, slightly falcate, subobtuse, apiculate, concave, dorsally keeled, with the basal margins clasping the spur, 9-nerved, 2.9 by about 1 cm. Petals obliquely subobovate-oblong, slightly falcate, at the apex pointed, with subobtuse tip, narrowed towards the base, concave, at the base 5-6-nerved, 2.9 by 1.15 cm. Lip clasping the column, at the base shortly adnate to it, there pubescent inside, spurred, 3-lobed, in the apical part recurved and strongly transversely plicate, underneath longitudinally grooved, inside with 3 keels that gradually vanish towards the base and towards the apex, with the proximal part of the keels puberulous, lip when flattened 3.25 cm long, blade 2.7-2.9 by 2.6-2.7 cm; spur pointing backwards, making an acute angle with the ovary, conical-oblong, obtuse, slightly curved, inside pubescent, 0.7 cm long; lateral lobes erect, with short free apex, rounded, concave, strongly plicate; mid-lobe a little longer than the lateral lobes, short, broad, rounded-bilobed, concave, strongly plicate, crenate, 0.4 by 1.1 cm. Column stout, slightly curved, triangular, with slightly recurved margins, in front long pilose, at the apex with a few long hairs, the apex broadly triangular, obtuse, 1.9 cm long, auricles shorter than apex of the column, rounded. Anther transversely cucullate, obtuse, 0.4 cm wide; pollinia laterally flattened. Ovary 6-grooved, minutely furfuraceous-punctate, 1.9 cm long; pedicel twisted, 1.5 cm long. (After Smith, 1915)

Colours:

Flower sulphur-yellow, lip with brown margins.

Habitat:

Terrestrial in montane grassland and forest; 1860 to 2700 m.

Distribution:

Malesia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Guinea, Philippines, trop. Asia), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal to China (excl. Sri Lanka), Japan, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Samoa.

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map

Cultivation:

Intermediate growing terrestrial.

Flowering time in the wild:

February, March, April, June, July, December.

References:

Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java (1905) 192
Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java, Fig.-Atl. (1909) fig. 144
Smith, J.J., Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 2, 9 (1913) 26
Schlechter, R., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 74 (1934) t. 55, fig. 217, as Phaius celebicus Schltr.
Stone, J. & P. Cribb, Lady Tankerville's Legacy 48, fig. 34-42, Map 8, Plate 8

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Collabieae
Subtribe Not used
Genus Phaius
Section Bulbophaius
Species Phaius flavus