Orchids of New Guinea

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Crepidium laeve

Crepidium laeve (Schltr.) Szlach., Fragm. Florist. Geobot. Suppl. 3 (1995) 128 ('laevis')

Type: Schlechter 17131 (syn B, lost); 19142 (syn B, lost; iso BO, L)

Synonyms:

Microstylis laevis Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1911) 112
Malaxis laevis (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt, Kew Bull. 24 (1970) 80
Pseudoliparis laevis (Schltr.) Szlach. & Marg., Adansonia 21 (1999) 277

Plant 18—30 cm tall, slender, erect. Rhizome very short, with loose scales. Leafy stem fusiform, nearly completely covered by leaf petioles and sheaths, c. 2.5 by 0.3—0.55 cm. Leaves 4—6; petiole erect, (0.4)0.8—1.2(1.7) by 0.2—0.6 cm wide when spread; leaf sheath (0.8)1.5—2.5(2.8) by 0.35—0.7 cm diam; leaf blade oblique, ovate, oblong-ovate to lanceolate, attenuate, (2.2)3.5—6(7) by (1.2)1.7—2.4 cm, with acuminate apex, 3 5-nerved. Inflorescence up to 16.5 cm long; raceme 10—20-flowered, rather lax and delicate, up to 7 cm long; peduncle 8—10 cm long. Sterile bract usually 1, erect, lanceolate, attenuate, 0.5—0.7 by 0.08—0.12 cm; apex acuminate; 1-nerved. Floral bracts recurved, lanceolate, 0.25—0.48 by 0.06—0.08 cm; apex acuminate; 1-nerved. Pedicel c. 0.5 by 0.04—0.05 cm diam, ovary c. 0.2 by 0.06—0.08(—0.1) cm; sinuate. Flowers about 0.65—0.7 by 0.4—0.5 cm wide. Median sepal oblong to oblong-ovate, 0.38—0.55 by 0.16—0.23 cm; apex obtuse. Lateral sepals oblique, broadly ovate to ovate, 0.35—0.4 by 0.2—0.24 cm; base slightly obcordate; apex obtuse to subacute. Petals usually bent backwards, slightly oblique, linear-lanceolate, 0.37—0.4 by 0.07—0.08 cm; apex obtuse. Lip widest about halfway the lamina, c. 0.5 by 0.2—0.22 cm, sagittate, its margins often incurved; lamina transversally elliptic, 2.2—2.5 mm long, broadly rounded in distal part, top acuminate, 0.04—0.05 by 0.04-0.05 cm, lamellae simple, delicate, parallel, 0.08—0.1 by 0.01—0.02 cm high, 0.01—0.02 cm thick, vanishing slightly above half of lamina length, between the lamellae flat and narrow, basal callus 0.04—0.05 by 0.03—0.04 cm high, c. 0.01 cm thick; lateral lobes prominent, erect, parallel, elongate, oblique-oblanceolate, 0.25—0.3 by 0.12—0.16 cm, with obtuse apex. Gynostemium erect, entire surface very minutely papillose, 0.16—0.2 by 0.04—0.06 cm; distinctly recurved in apical half, above half of its length with a distinct, strongly erect, cone-like, rather long attenuate appendage c. 0.02 by 0.04—0.06 cm; staminodes subparallel to the anther, oblong, slightly cuneate, c. 0.08 by 0.04—0.06 cm, 0.01—0.02 cm thick; apex simply truncate. Anther 0.05—0.06 by 0.04—0.05 cm wide.
(after Margonska, 2005)

Colours:

Leaf green. Leaf petiole green with grey tinge; sheath., dark-green, when young paler so; blade, above dark green, below paler grey-green. Inflorescence light green. Pedicel and ovary green. Fower yellowish, lip orange yellow with distinctly dark-green lamellae. Lip lamina distinctly darker coloured, particularly at distal margins. Column pale yellow-greenish; staminodes dark-green to blue-green. Anther pale greenish yellow to pale green; top dark-green to blue-green.
(after Margonska, 2005)

Habitat:

Terrestrial in primary lower montane forest, on humus covered by a layer of leaf litter, in wet and shady places, occurring solitary or in small groups of a few specimens. Altitude 1100—1200 m.

Distribution:

Malesia (New Guinea), Solomon Isl. (Guadalcanal and Rendova).

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua New Guinea. Madang Prov; see map

Cultivation:

Intermediate growing terrestrial, requires shaded position.

Flowering time in the wild:

January.

References:

Schlechter, R., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 43, fig. 147, as Microstylis laevis Schltr.
Margońska, H. B., Materials towards a revision of the genus Pseudoliparis (Orchidaceae, Malaxidinae). 3. Section Pseudoliparis (2005) Ann. Bot. Fennici 42: 267—291, fig. 1-17, as Pseudoliparis laevis (Schltr.) Szlach. & Marg.
Tian-Chuan Hsu, T.-Y. Aleck Yang, Fred Pitisopa, Moffat Fanerii & Chia-Wei Li, Taiwania 61 (2016) 23

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Malaxideae
Genus Crepidium
Section Pseudoliparis
Species Crepidium laeve

Notes:

Crepidium laeve differs from its relatives by the lip shape, the delicate lamellae, the prominent auricles and by the shape and colour of the recurved gynostemium.
(after Margonska, 2005)