Orchids of New Guinea

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Genus Dendrobium section Latouria

Genus Dendrobium sect. Latouria Miq., Fl. Ned. Indië 3 (1859) 645. Type species: Dendrobium spectabile (Blume) Miq. (basionym: Latouria spectabilis Blume).

Synonyms:

Genus Dendrobium subgen. Athecebium Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1912) 441. Type species: Dendrobium spectabile (Blume) Miq. (basionym: Latouria spectabilis Blume).
Genus Dendrobium sect. Athecebium P.Royen, Alp. Fl. New Guinea 2 (1979) 299, nom. illeg. Type species: Dendrobium spectabile (Blume) Miq. (basionym: Latouria spectabilis Blume).
Genus Dendrobium sect. Dendrocoryne subsect. Hirsuta Pfitzer in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., II, 6 (1889) 174. Type species: Dendrobium Macrophyllum A.Rich.
Genus Dendrobium sect. Leiotheca Kränzl. in Engl., Pflanzenr. IV. 50. II. B. 21 (1910) 250. Type species: Dmdrobium spectabile (Blume) Miq. (basionym: Latouria spectabilis Blume).
Genus Dendrobium sect. Superbientia Kränzl. in Engl., Pflanzenr. IV. 50. II. B. 21 (1910) 257. Type species: Dendrobium johnsoniae F.Muell.
Genus Dendrobium sect. Trachytheca Kränzl. in Engl., Pflanzenr. IV. 50. II. B. 21 (1910) 243. Type species: Dendrobium macrophyllum.A.Rich.
Genus Latouria Blume, Rumphia 4 (1848) 41, t. 195, 199, nom. illeg. non (Lindl.) Lindl. Type species: Latouria spectabilis Blume.
Genus Latourorchis Brieger in Schltr., Orchideen, ed. 3, 1 (1981) 727. Type species: Latourorchis spectabilis (Blume) Brieger (basionym: Latouria spectabilis Blume ).
Genus Leioanthum M.A. Clem. & D.L.Jones, Orchadian 13 (2002) 490. Type species: Leioanthum bifalce (Lindl.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones (basionym: Dendrobium bifalce Lindl.).
Genus Sayeria Kränzl., Oesterr. Bot, Zeitschr. 44 (1894) 298. Type species: Sayeria paradoxa Kränzl.

Rhizome short. Stems or pseudobulbs clustered, short to elongated, cane-like or often clavate to fusiform or almost spherical, with limited apical growth, not branching, often very narrow at the base; apical part 1- to 10-leaved. Leaves usually coriaceous, glabrous; leaf sheath absent. Inflorescences subterminal or lateral, mainly on the upper part of the stem, racemose, elongate, erect or arching, 1- to many-flowered. Flowers long-lived, fleshy, medium-sized to large, resupinate, often showy, sometimes fragrant. Ovary sometimes hairy. Sepals not connate, sometimes hairy outside; mentum chin-like, short. Petals often broad. Lip mobile on the apex of the column foot, entire or 3-lobed, usually with high fleshy calli or ribs. Rostellum when damaged exuding a white liquid.

Distribution:

Java, the Philippines, Moluccas, New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa. About 52 species; in New Guinea c. 45 species

see Map: (with number of species indicated), from P. Cribb, Kew Bull. 38 (1983) 230, map 1.

Habitat:

Epiphytes in lowland and montane forest, also terrestrial in subalpine grassland.

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Dendrobieae
Subtribe Dendrobiinae
Genus Dendrobium
Section Section

Literature:

Cribb, P., T. Reeve, and P. Woods. 1985. The genus Dendrobium in New Guinea. Kew Mag. 2: 291-308.
Cribb, P.J. 1983. A revision of Dendrobium section Latouria (Orchidaceae). Kew Bull. 38: 229-306.
Lavarack, B., W. Harris & G. Stocker. 2000. Dendrobium and its relatives. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.
Spence, P.J. 1997. Notes on selected species of Dendrobium sect. Latouria. Lasianthera 1: 153-172.

Notes:

Section Latouria contains some of the most spectacular orchids of New Guinea, as well as some of the least spectacular. The unifying characteristics are not so much found in the flowers, but rather in the vegetative parts, most notably in the leaves, which lack the long sheathing base that is seen in most New Guinea dendrobiums. In this respect Latouria resembles sect. Fugacia, which differs in the more delicate, short-lived flowers with a mobile lip.

In New Guinea Dendrobium section Latouria contains the following 53 species and 2 varieties:

Dendrobium aberrans
Dendrobium alexandrae
Dendrobium amphigenyum
Dendrobium armeniacum
Dendrobium atroviolaceum
Dendrobium bifalce
Dendrobium biloculare
Dendrobium convolutum
Dendrobium crassilabium
Dendrobium cruttwellii
Dendrobium curvimentum
Dendrobium cynthiae
Dendrobium dendrocolloides
Dendrobium diceras
Dendrobium engae
Dendrobium erectilobum
Dendrobium euryanthum
Dendrobium eximium
Dendrobium eymanum
Dendrobium finisterrae
Dendrobium flebiliflorum
Dendrobium forbesii
Dendrobium geotropum
Dendrobium hodgkinsonii
Dendrobium informe
Dendrobium johnsoniae
Dendrobium kauldorumii
Dendrobium latipetalum
Dendrobium leucohybos
Dendrobium macrophyllum
Dendrobium macrophyllum var. subvelutinum
Dendrobium mayandyi
Dendrobium montisyulei
Dendrobium normanbyense = Dendrobium atroviolaceum?
Dendrobium otaguroanum
Dendrobium pachystele
Dendrobium pleurodes
Dendrobium polysema
Dendrobium punamense
Dendrobium rariflorum
Dendrobium rhodostictum
Dendrobium rigidifolium
Dendrobium simplex
Dendrobium shiraishii
Dendrobium simplex
Dendrobium sleumeri
Dendrobium spectabile
Dendrobium spenceanum
Dendrobium spinuliferum
Dendrobium subquadratum
Dendrobium tapiniense
Dendrobium torricellense
Dendrobium uncipes
Dendrobium wisselense
Dendrobium woodsii