Genus Dipodium
Dipodium R.Br., Prodr. (1810) 330
Synonyms:
- Genus Hydranthus Kuhl & Hasselt ex Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 2 (1862) 20
- Genus Leopardanthus Blume, Rumphia 4 (1848) 47
- Genus Trichochilus Ames, J. Arnold Arbor. 13 (1932) 142
- Genus Wailesia Lindl., J. Hort. Soc. London 4 (1849) 261
Sympodial or monopodial terrestrial plants, sometimes leafless. Stem rather short to much elongated, sometimes spirally climbing, not fleshy, many-leaved (or leafless). Leaves sheathing at the base, arranged in two rows, glabrous, deciduous, duplicate, relatively narrow, thin-leathery. Inflorescence a several-flowered lateral raceme. Flowers medium-sized to rather large, resupinate, creamy white with brownish or purple spots, the spots being more deeply coloured on the outside of the sepals and petals than on the inside. Sepals free. Petals free, similar to the dorsal sepal. Lip without spur, not mobile, on the mid-lobe with a hairy crest. Column-foot absent. Pollinia 2, cleft, solid, caudicles absent, stipe present, Y-shaped, viscidium present.
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia. About 20 species; in New Guinea 4 species
Terrestrials, scrambling or climbing in lowland rain forest and (the leafless species) terrestrial herbs in grasslands.
- O’Byrne, P. A taxonomic revision of Dipodium section Leopardanthus. Malesian Orchid Journal 19 (2017) 5-142, fig. {1-3], 1-124
- Subfamily Epidendroideae
- Tribe Cymbidieae
- Subtribe Eulophiinae
- Genus Dipodium
A relative of Eulophia, easily recognised by the spotted flowers, and by the hairy lip with small side-lobes at its base. In New Guinea, 3 species are climbers with strap-like leaves in forests, the 4th (Dipodium elatum) is a terrestrial with scale-leaves in seasonally dry grassland. The latter would undoubtedly be very difficult to cultivate, but the others are rather easy to grow in warm and humid greenhouse conditions.
Genus Dipodium is divided in 2 Sections, both present in New Guinea:
Section Dipodium
Section Leopardanthus
KEY TO THE SECTIONS OF GENUS DIPODIUM
1a. Plants not climbing, without adventitious roots at the stem internodes. Leaves reduced, scale-like (except 1 species in Australia), not green (in 2 species in Australia) == Section Dipodium
1b. Plants climbing, with at the stem internodes (except in 1 species in Sulawesi without adventitious roots). Leaves not reduced, strap-shaped, green == Section Leopardanthus
Genus Dipodium is present in New Guinea with 5 species and 1 variety:
Dipodium brassii
Dipodium brevilabium
Dipodium brevilabium subsp. brevilabium
Dipodium brevilabium subsp. 2(ined.)
Dipodium elatum
Dipodium fevrellii
Dipodium pandanum
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Genus Dipodium
Dipodium pandanum F.M.Bailey, in situ at Lake Kutubu, photo A. Schuiteman
Genus Dipodium
Dipodium pandanum F.M.Bailey, photo G. Stocker
Genus Dipodium
Dipodium pandanum F.M.Bailey, photo G. Stocker
Genus Dipodium
Dipodium pandanum F.M.Bailey, flower detail, column and lip, front view, photo E.F. de Vogel, from Leiden cult.
Genus Dipodium
Dipodium pandanum F.M.Bailey, flower detail, column and lip, lateral view, photo E.F. de Vogel, from Leiden cult.