Species Information - Vanilla ramosa

Vanilla ramosa J.J.Sm., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 11 (1912) 130 (non Rolfe)

Type: Gjellerup 706 (holo BO; iso L)

Synonyms:

Stem elongated, climbing, rooting, internodes 5-7 cm long. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, at the apex revolute, acuminate, at the base contracted, fleshy, 10-13 by 2.3-3 cm (when dried). Inflorescences axillary, pedunculate, elongated, branched, very many-flowered, producing flowers for a long time, 10-19 cm long; peduncle 3-4 cm long, with 2-3 branches; peduncle-scales to 1.2 cm long; rachis when dried strongly flexuose, fleshy. Floral bracts widely patent or reflexed, suborbicular, elliptic to ovate-triangular, obtuse or with the lower ones acute, concave, 0.35 cm long. Flowers opening in succession, rather large, with obliquely inserted ovary, 3.3 cm long, fragrant. Sepals at the base very shortly connate, sepals and petals slightly divergent, fleshy. Median sepal lanceolate-obovate, obtuse, concave, in the apical part c. 13-nerved, 3.5 by 1.13 cm. Lateral sepals obliquely narrowly obovate-oblong, obtuse, concave, in the apical part c. 15-nerved, 3.1 by 1.15 cm. Petals free, obliquely narrowly oblong, slightly falcate, obtuse, inside with a slightly convex longitudinal band, dorsally with a strongly thickened mid-rib delimited by grooves, in the apical part c. 11-nerved, 3.1 by 1 cm. Lip long adnate to the column, forming a funnel-shaped structure contracted at the base and ventrally slightly ventricose, lip at the apex recurved and undulate, inside with a longitudinal, broad, fleshy-swollen, glabrous band, almost in the middle of the lip with some very dense rows of transverse, backwards-pointing, quadrangular, laciniate lamellae, from the middle almost up to the apex densely and long villose, with somewhat fleshy hairs, underneath with a longitudinal, when not flattened 2.8 cm long, when flattened broadly suborbicular-obovate, weakly 3-lobed, at the base shortly clawed, 2.75 by 2.3 cm, the part adnate to the column 1.25 cm long, claw 0.43 cm long; lateral lobes broadly rounded; mid-lobe separated from the lateral lobes by a number of folds, semiorbicular, undulate, 0.45 by 1 cm. Column up to the stigma adnate to the lip, making an obtuse angle with the ovary, slender, in the middle obtusely curved, at the apex incurved and swollen, in front concave, glabrous, 2.4 cm long, the parte adnate to the lip 1.87 cm long; clinandrium large, concave; auricles broad, more or less dentate; rostellum recurved, quadrangular, truncate. Anther facing inwards, large, cucullate, subquadrangular, dorsally almost flat, bilobulate, in front rounded, 0.35 cm long, 0.25 cm wide. Ovary terete, thick, curved, at the apex oblique, 4.8 cm long. (After Smith, 1915)

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