Orchids of New Guinea

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Dendrobium armeniacum

Dendrobium armeniacum P.J.Cribb, Orchadian 6 (1981) 279, fig. 1.

Type: Reeve 397 A (holo K; iso AMES, CBG, E, L, LAE).

Synonyms:

Sayeria armeniaca (P.J.Cribb) Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 466.

A pendulous epiphytic herb. Pseudobulbs clustered, to 15 by 0.5 cm, scarcely clavate, about 3-noded, yellow when dry, two-leaved at the apex. Leaves up to 11 by 3.5 cm, lanceolate, acuminate, twisted at base to lie in one plane, relatively thin-textured. Inflorescences apical or lateral from node below lowermost leaf, 6-8 cm long, suberect, 3-10-flowered; bracts 3-4 mm long, triangular-lanceolate, acute. Flowers fleshy, not opening widely. Dorsal sepal 10 by 5.5 mm, ovate, subacute; lateral sepals 9-10 by 6-9 mm, obliquely triangular-ovate, subacute; mentum obliquely conical, 6-7 mm long. Petals 7.5 by 3 mm, narrowly elliptic-oblong, acute. Lip 9.5 by 6 mm, cucullate, three-lobed in apical half, difficult to flatten; side-lobes erect, rounded in front, shorter than midlobe ; midlobe 5.5 mm, broad, transversely oblong; callus fleshy, 3-ridged, raised at base and apex. Column 3 mm long, slightly erose at apex; foot 6-7 mm long.
(after Cribb, 1983).

Colours:

Flowers white, greenish ochre or orange with red striations on the lip.

Habitat:

Epiphyte in montane forest. Altitude 1500 to 2400 m.

Distribution:

New Guinea.

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua New Guinea (Highlands and Sarawaket Range).

Map: Dendrobium armeniacum P.J.Cribb, distribution map, redrawn from P. Cribb, Kew Bull. 38 (1983) 250, map 4.

Cultivation:

Cool growing epiphyte.

Flowering time in the wild:

October.

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Dendrobieae
Subtribe Dendrobiinae
Genus Dendrobium
Section Latouria
Species Dendrobium armeniacum

Literature:

Cribb, P.J. 1983. Kew Bull. 38: 282, fig. 16, map 4.
Juswara, L. S. and Schuiteman, A. 2016. Dendrobium armeniacum P.J.Cribb, a new record for Indonesian New Guinea. Telopea 19: 131–135 (doi:10.7751/telopea10499).

Notes:

Dendrobium armeniacum P.J.Cribb is similar to Dendrobium euryanthum Schltr. with which it is sometimes found in the wild. Like that species it characteristically has small fleshy flowers and leaves which are twisted at the base to lie in one plane but it differs in having a shorter less prominently conical mentum 6-7 mm long and a green callus which is 3-ridged and dilated at both the apex and base. Some specimens have a single leaf and both lateral and subterminal inflorescences but are identical in floral morphology with the type.
(after Cribb, 1983).