Orchids of New Guinea

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Didymoplexis micradenia

Didymoplexis micradenia (Rchb.f.) Hemsl., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 20 (1883) 311

Type: Seemann 610 (holo W 48230; iso K)

Synonyms:

Epiphanes micradenia Rchb.f. in Seem., Fl. Vitiensis (1868) 295
- Type: Seemann 610 (holo W 48230; iso K)
Leucorchis micradenia (Rchb.f.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Drake, Ill. Fl. Ins. Pacif. 7 (1892) 313
Didymoplexis minor J.J.Sm., Bull. Inst. Bot. Buitenzorg 7 (1900) 1
- Type: J.J. Smith 74 (Java, Buitenzorg) (holo BO; iso L)
Didymoplexis minor J.J.Sm. var. samoensis H.Fleischm. & Rech., Denkschr. Kaiserl. Akad. Wiss., Math.-Naturwiss. Kl. 85 (1910) 251
- Type: Rechinger 1641 (holo W 3080)
Didymoplexis neocaledonica Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 39 (1906) 50
- Type: Schlechter 15748 (holo B, lost)
Didymoplexis papuana Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1911) 43
- Type: Schlechter 16578; 18106; 18413 (syn B, lost; iso BO, L); 19974; 20359 (B, probably lost)
Didymoplexis samoensis (H.Fleischm. & Rech.) Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 9 (1910) 85

Leafless terrestrial, erect, very small, 8-15 cm high. Tuber fusiform, horizontal, stem straight or almost straight, with a few small, scale-like sheaths, terete, glabrous. Inflorescence rather laxly 4-8-flowered, erect. Floral bracts scale-like, ovate, obtuse, patent, glabrous, very small. Flowers erect. Median sepal narrowly oblong-ligulate, obtuse, at the apex concave, 0.8 cm long, in basal third or fourth adnate to the lateral sepals. Lateral sepals connate into an oblong blade which is obtusely and obliquely bilobate in apical third, glabrous, 0.6 cm long. Petals linear-ligulate, obtuse, apex subfalcate, along the upper margin to below the apex adnate to the median sepal, along the lower margin in basal third adnate to the lateral sepal, glabrous, 0.7 cm long. Lip at the base indistinctly clawed, cuneate, in front subtruncate, 3-lobulate, 0.7 cm long, in front 0.3 cm wide, lobes very short, the laterals deeply cleft, the median not longer, in front dentate, with 3 parallel bands of papillae, the bands extending from basal fifth to below the apex, decurrent, united in front. Column slender, semiterete, glabrous, almost without a foot, towards the apex distinctly dilated, 0.6 cm long. Anther suborbicular-cucullate, glabrous, dorsally obtusely 2-gibbose. Ovary cylindrical, glabrous, about 0.8 cm long. Fruit fusiform, about 2.3 cm long, near the middle 0.6 cm across, when mature together with the elongated pedicel up to 19 cm long.
(After Schlechter, 1911-1914, as Didymoplexis papuana Schltr.).

Habitat:

Terrestrial in forest. Altitude 30-400 m.

Distribution:

Malesia (Java, New Guinea), Solomon Is., Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga.

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua (Indonesia); Papua New Guinea. See map

Cultivation:

Terrestrial, probably parasitic on fungi and probably impossible to grow under normal conditions.

Flowering time in the wild:

July, August, September, October.

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Gastrodieae
Genus Didymoplexis
Species Didymoplexis micradenia

Literature:

Smith, J.J., Icon. Bogor. 2 (1903) 9, t. 102A, as Didymoplexis minor J.J.Sm.
Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java (1905) 79, as Didymoplexis minor J.J.Sm.
Smith, J.J., Orchid. Java, Fig.-Atl. (1908) fig. 53, as Didymoplexis minor J.J.Sm.
Schlechter, R., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 19, fig. 61, as Didymoplexis papuana Schltr.
Lewis, B.A. & P.J. Cribb, Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville (1991) 65, fig. 11M-O

Notes:

Didymoplexis micradenia (Rchb.f.) Hemsl. is easily recognised by the dentate front margin of the lip.