Genus Dendrobium section Amblyanthus
Genus Dendrobium sect. Amblyanthus Schltr. in K. Schum. & Lauterb., Nachtr. Fl. Deutsch. Schutzgeb. Südsee,150 (1905). Type species: Dendrobium melanostictum Schltr.
Synonyms:
- Genus Amblyanthe Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 436. Type species: Amblyanthe melanosticta (Schltr.) Rauschert (basionym: Dendrobium melanostictum Schltr.).
- Genus Amblyanthus (Schltr.) Brieger in Schltr., Orchideen ed. 3, 1 (1981) 686, nom. illeg., non A.DC. Type species: Amblyanthus melanostictus (Schltr.) Brieger (basionym: Dendrobium melanostictum Schltr.).
- Genus Amblyanthe Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 436. Type species: Amblyanthe melanosticta (Schltr.) Rauschert (basionym: Dendrobium melanostictum Schltr.).
Rhizome short. Stems much elongated and slender, unbranched, cane-like, rather fleshy, many-leaved. Leaves relatively thin-textured. glabrous; leaf sheats tubular, usually covered with appressed brown scale-hairs (except in Dendrobium microglaphys Rchb.f.). Inflorescences usually very short and dense, racemose, produced laterally from the stem, usually while this is still leafy, sometimes in great numbers, with the flowers facing in all directions; floral bracts often large. Flowers medium-size, lasting at least several days, usually white with orange or yellow markings on the lip, the sepals outside usually covered with appressed brown scale-hairs (except in Dendrobium microglaphys Rchb.f.). Mentum well-developed, conical, parallel with the ovary. Lip not mobile, attached to the apex of the column foot but not adnate to it, entire or weakly lobed, fleshy, with a flat, blade-like, appressed, backward-pointing, lobed or lacerate appendage at the base, rarely the appendage is reduced to a horizontal ridge; apex often hairy.
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, New Guinea, Solomon Islands.
About 17 species; in New Guinea c. 16 species, only the aberrant species Dendrobium microglaphys occurs in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.
Epiphytes in lowland and montane forest, usually in growing in the shade.
- Family Orchidaceae
- Subfamily Epidendroideae
- Tribe Dendrobieae
- Subtribe Dendrobiinae
- Genus Dendrobium
- Section Amblyanthus
- Lavarack, B., W. Harris & G. Stocker. 2000. Dendrobium and its relatives. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.
This small section of mainly white-flowered species is rather isolated in Dendrobium. Like in section Brevisaccata the lip has a backwards pointing appendage in the basal part, but otherwise these two sections have little in common. Most species of Dendrobium sect. Amblyanthus have very dense and short, almost head-like inflorescences of medium-sized flowers that are often subtended by large bracts. Usually the sepals appear covered with numerous brown dots ehich are minute brownish scale-hairs. Although the flowers can be quite pretty, this section has little horticultural value.
In New Guinea Dendrobium section Amblyanthus contains the following 16 species:
Dendrobium bismarckiense
Dendrobium cavipes
Dendrobium ceraceum
Dendrobium chrysosema
Dendrobium dielsianum
Dendrobium fuligineum
Dendrobium furfuriferum
Dendrobium gobiense
Dendrobium kaniense
Dendrobium kempterianum
Dendrobium melanostictum
Dendrobium quadriferum
Dendrobium serratipetalum
Dendrobium squamiferum
Dendrobium stockeri
Dendrobium xanthomeson
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Genus Dendrobium section Amblyanthus
Dendrobium cavipes J.J.Sm., inflorescences, in one flower the lip detached and turned, photo J. Meijvogel, based on Leiden cult. 31586
Genus Dendrobium section Amblyanthus
Dendrobium squamiferum J.J.Sm., habit, photo P. O'Byrne, based on O'Byrne D350
Genus Dendrobium section Amblyanthus
Dendrobium xanthomeson Schltr., inflorescences, photo N.E.G. Cruttwell, 2/91, PNG, E.H. Province, Megabo