Orchids of New Guinea

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Zeuxine amboinensis

Zeuxine amboinensis (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm., Icon. Bogor. 2 (1904) 259

Synonyms:

Haplochilus amboinensis J.J.Sm., Bull. Inst. Bot. Buitenzorg 7 (1900) 2 ('amboinense')
- Type: J.J. Smith s.n. (Ambon, Alang to Latua) (holo BO)
Heterozeuxine amboinensis (J.J.Sm.) T.Hashim. in K.Saito & R.Tanaka (eds.), Proc. 12th World Orchid Conf. (1987) 125
Zeuxine amboinensis (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. var. argentea (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm., Icon. Bogor. 2 (1904) 259
Zeuxine argentea Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1911) 79
- Type: Schlechter 16622; 18920 (B, lost)
Haplochilus amboinensis J.J.Sm. var. argentea J.J.Sm., Bull. Inst. Bot. Buitenzorg 7 (1900) 2 ('amboinense')
- Type: J.J. Smith s.n. (Ambon, Alang to Latua) (holo BO)
Heterozeuxine argentea (Schltr.) T.Hashim. in K.Saito & R.Tanaka (eds.), Proc. 12th World Orchid Conf. (1987) 125 Zeuxine argentea Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1911) 79
- Type: Schlechter 16622; 18920 (B, lost)

Basionym: Haplochilus amboinensis

Terrestrial, erect, slender, 30-40 cm high. Rhizome more or less flexuose, stem-like, decumbent; roots flexuose, elongated, finely villose. Stem terete, glabrous, leafless at the base, with soon-decaying sheaths, 3-4-leaved. Leaves closely spaced, erect-patent, petiolate; blade obliquely elliptic, acuminate, rounded at the base, glabrous, 6-8.5 by 2.5-3.5 cm; petiole dilated at the base, sheathing, 1.8-3 cm long. Peduncle with a few small distant, bract-like scales, glandulose-puberulous; rachis rather densely 10-15-flowered, up to 5 cm long, subsecund. Floral bracts lanceolate, acuminate, glandulose-puberulous, as long as the ovary or a little shorter. Flowers erect-patent. Sepals puberulous in basal half. Median sepal ovate, c. 0.5 cm long. Lateral sepals oblique, narrower and a little shorter. Petals obliquely ovate-oblong, conspicuously narrowed towards the apex, obtuse, at the base along the front margin expanded, glabrous, about as long as the median sepal. Lip at the base ovate-cucullate, inside with two papillae, with inflexed margins, gradually narrowed into a short claw, in front expanded into a transversely falcate-oblong lobe, the lobe in front retuse with an apicule; whole lip glabrous, as long as the petals, apical lobe 0.1 cm long, 0 3 cm wide. Column short, subglobose, in front with two triangular lamellae, glabrous; rostellum triangular, bifid. Anther subreniform-cucullate, shortly cordate, acuminate; pollinia obliquely clavate; stipe very large, ligulate; viscidium very small, rounded. Ovary cylindrical, glandulose-puberulous, c. 0.8 cm long. (After Schlechter, 1911-1914)

Colours:

Leaves silvery grey-green or grey-bluish. Sepals greenish, petals and lip white.

Habitat:

Terrestrial in lowland forest; 60 to 300 m.

Distribution:

Malesia (Moluccas, New Guinea).

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map

Cultivation:

Warm growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.

Flowering time in the wild:

June, July, August, September, October, December.

References:

Smith, J.J., Icon. Bogor. 2 (1903) 19, t. 105A, as Haplochilus amboinensis J.J.Sm.
Schlechter, R., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 32, fig. 108, as Zeuxine argentea Schltr.
Smith, J.J., Nova Guinea 18, 1 (1935) 13

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Orchidoideae
Tribe Cranichideae
Subtribe Goodyerinae
Genus Zeuxine
Section Monochilus
Species Zeuxine amboinensis

Notes:

Ormerod (Lindleyana 17 (2002) 236) suggests that Zeuxine amboinensis could be synonymous with Zeuxine cordata (Lindl.) Ormerod, a species originally described from the Moluccas, which he records from Papua New Guinea.