Orchids of New Guinea

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Spathoglottis plicata

Spathoglottis plicata Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 401; Tab. & Pl. Jav. Orchid. (1825) t. 76

Type: Blume 1884 (holo L; iso L, P)

Synonyms:

Limodorum unguiculatum Labill., Sert. Austro-Caled. (1824) 19, t. 25
- Type: Labillardiere s.n. (New Caledonia) (holo P)
Spathoglottis unguiculata (Labill.) Rchb.f. in Seem., Fl. Vitiensis (1868) 300
Spathoglottis angustifolia (Gaudich.) Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 3 (1883) 512
Bletia angustifolia Gaudich. in Freyc., Voy. Uranie, Bot. (1826) t. 32
- Type: Freycinet s.n. (Moluccas) (holo P)
Bletia angustata Gaudich. in Freyc., Voy. Uranie, Bot. (1826) 421
- Type: Freycinet s.n. (Rawak) (holo P)
Spathoglottis rosea (Lindl.) Nicholson, Dict. Gard. 3 (1886) 467
Paxtonia rosea Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. (1838) Misc. 61
- Type: Loddiges cult. (Cuming) s.n. (Philippines, Luzon) (holo K)
Spathoglottis lilacina Griff., Not. Pl. Asiat. 3 (1851) 323; Icon. Pl. Asiat. pl. 311, fig 3
- Type: Griffith 429 (V-1842, M.P., Pulau Bissar) (syn K); 493 (1837, Khasia Mts., Ghurra Ponjee)
Spathoglottis spicata Lindl., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 3 (1859) 9 (sphalm. = plicata)
Spathoglottis vieillardii Rchb.f., Linnaea 41 (1877) 85
- Type: Vieillard 1302 (New Caledonia, Mt. Balade) (holo P)
Spathoglottis regnieri Rchb.f., Gard. Chron. (1887, I) 174
- Type: Regnier cult. s.n. (Cochinchina)
Spathoglottis grandifolia Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1912) 398
- Type: Schlechter 16339; 18050 (B, lost; AMES, K, L 2x, MO, NSW, S); 19133
Spathoglottis papuana F.M.Bailey var. puberula Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1912) 397
- Type: Schlechter 14299 (B, lost); 20019 (B, lost); 20130 (B, lost; AMES, L, S)
Spathoglottis wariana Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1912) 399
- Type: Schlechter 17452 (holo B, lost)
Spathoglottis papuana F.M.Bailey var. puberiflora R.S.Rogers & C.T.White, Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. South Australia 44 (1920) 116
- Type: White 445 (holo BRI)
Spathoglottis lanepoolei R.S.Rogers, Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. South Australia 49 (1925) 259
- Type: Lane-Poole 249 (holo BRI)
Spathoglottis daenikeri Kraenzl., Vierteljahrsschr. Naturf. Ges. Zñ74 (1929) 80
- Type: Daeniker 1622 (New Caledonia) (holo Z)
Calanthe poilanei Gagnep., Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. (Paris), sér. 2, 22 (1951) 625
- Type: Poilane 32450 (Vietnam, Annam) (holo P)

Rhizome very short. Pseudobulbs clustered, 4-7-leaved, ovoid to obliquely conical, 1.5-8 by 1-5 cm, internodes more or less evenly spaced. Leaves petiolate; petiole 12-45 cm long; blade lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 26-150 by 1.5-9.5 cm, base attenuate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences racemose, erect, 50-220 cm long, glabrous in basal half, more or less tomentose-pubescent in upper half, peduncle-scales c. 2-7, tubular, rachis tomentose, gradually elongating, few- to many-flowered, with up to 6 or more flowers open at a time. Floral bracts oblong-lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 1.4-3.3 by 0.8-1.8 cm, pubescent, persistent, apex acute to acuminate. Ovary c. 3.7 cm long, pubescent. Flowers 3-4.2 cm diam. Median sepal narrowly ovate, 1.3-2.1 by 0.6-1 cm, pubescent outside, apex obtuse. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate, 1.4-2.2 by 0.6-1.1 cm, pubescent outside, slightly keeled along mid-vein, apex obtuse. Petals ovate to obliquely elliptic, 1.3-2.3 by 1.3-2.3 cm, glabrous, sometimes sparsely and minutely pubescent at base. Lip 3-lobed, 1.2-2 long, 1.2-1.9 cm wide between tips of lateral lobes when flattened; callus bilobed, with triangular-ovate lobes, 0.2-0.3 cm tall, 0.2-0.46 cm wide, with few to many hairs at the top and laterally at base; lateral lobes when flattened making a 90 to 118 degrees angle with the mid-lobe, oblong, dilated to apex or somewhat narrowed at apex or of equal width throughout, 0.6-0.8 by 0.3-0.55 cm, apex obliquely obtuse, rounded or truncate; mid-lobe 0.8-1.3 cm long including the narrow claw; claw 0.3-0.53 cm long, 0.03-0.16 cm wide, with a knee-like swelling or wart, with obliquely triangular deflexed lobules on either side of the bilobed callus; terminal lobule obcordate to reniform, 0.43-1 cm wide. Column slightly curved, 1.3-1.6 cm long. Fruit more or less cylindrical, 2.5-4 by 0.5-0.8 cm, with 1.5-2.8 cm long pedicel. (After Howcroft, 1992).

Colours:

Flower white to pink or magenta; lateral lobes of lip deeper magenta or yellow, callus yellow, often with orange or red spots, terminal lobule of mid-lobe, if not white, somewhat darker than sepals and petals.

Habitat:

Terrestrial in lowland and montane grassland, banks, forest margins, closed forest, usually in disturbed vegetation; 0 to 2970 m.

Distribution:

Malesia (Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, New Guinea, Philippines, Batu, Mentawai and Lingga Islands), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, China, Taiwan, Ryukyu Arch., Pacific islands east to Fiji and Tonga.

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map

Cultivation:

Warm to cool growing terrestrial, requires light position.

Flowering time in the wild:

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November.

References:

Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java (1905) 219
Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java, Fig.-Atl. (1909) fig. 162
Schlechter, R., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 140, fig. 525, as Spathoglottis grandifolia Schltr.
Schlechter, R., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 139, fig. 524, as Spathoglottis papuana F.M.Bailey var. puberula Schltr.
Schlechter, R., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 140, fig. 526, as Spathoglottis wariana Schltr.
Smith, J.J., Nova Guinea 18, 1 (1935) 18, as Spathoglottis wariana Schltr.
O'Byrne, P., Lowland Orchid. Papua New Guinea (1994) 58, fig., pl.
O'Byrne, P., Lowland Orchid. Papua New Guinea (1994) 62, fig., as Spathoglottis papuana F.M.Bailey var. puberula Schltr.

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Collabieae
Subtribe Not used
Genus Spathoglottis
Species Spathoglottis plicata