Prev Taxon: Genus Agrostophyllum
Current Genus: Genus Agrostophyllum section Agrostophyllum
Next Taxon: Genus Agrostophyllum section Appendiculopsis
Agrostophyllum cyatheicola Schuit. & de Vogel, Malesian Orchid J. 4 (2009) 99, fig. 1-3.
Type: Leiden cult. (Schuiteman, Mulder, Roelfsema & Vogel) 31844 (holo LAE; iso L)
Synonyms:
Stems numerous, tufted, erect, unbranched, covered by the leaf-sheaths, 4–8 cm long, c.0. 4 cm wide across the sheaths, 6–8-leaved. Leaves suberect, linear, 1–3 cm by 0.33–0.45 cm; leaf sheaths overlapping, conduplicate, ancipitous, glabrous, suberect, open on the adaxial side for most of their length, with blackish brown scarious margins, its apex truncate with a short acute lateral tooth; margins smooth; apex bilobulate, mucronate, with the lobules varying from unequal and acute to subequal and obtuse; thinly coriaceous. Inflorescences terminal, 1-flowered, very short, enveloped by a few desiccated, conduplicate scale-leaves that eventually dissolve into fibres. Floral bract clasping the ovary, ovate, c. 0.5 cm long; apex acuminate. Flower almost 2 cm across, opening widely, usually not resupinate. Median sepal ovate, 0.84 by 0.38 cm; apex acute-apiculate; 5-nerved, abaxially keeled along the mid-vein, more strongly so towards the apex. Lateral sepals free, obliquely ovate, 1 by 0.4 cm; apex acuminate-apiculate; 5-nerved; abaxially keeled along the mid-vein, more strongly so towards the apex. Petals somewhat obliquely oblong, 0.75 by 0.29 cm; apex acute; 3-nerved; in apical part with slightly erose margins. Lip 0.93 by 0.85 cm when flattened, at right angle to the column; hypochile relatively small, 0.27 by 0.17 cm, cup-shaped, inside at the base with a 3-ribbed callus, in front with an erect lamella pressed against the face of the column below the stigma, free part of the lamella 0.16 by 0.13 cm, rectangular, with swollen, pubescent-papillose margins, at the apex truncate-emarginate, slightly furcate by the projecting lateral margins; epichile transversely elliptic, indistinctly 3-lobulate, with the sinuses between the lateral and median lobules at c. 0.46 cm above the base of the epichile, when flattened 0.66 by 0.85 cm; the lateral lobules semi-orbicular with irregularly crenate margins, the median lobule somewhat smaller, transversely semi-elliptic, with crenulate margins, at the apex abruptly tapering to an acute, conduplicate point that is slightly recurved in natural position. Column stout, 0.4 cm long without the anther, almost at right angles to the ovary, straight, laterally on either side just below the stigma with a short, patent, rounded projection; stigma large, trapeziform; below the stigma with a large, ligulate, decurved, c. 0.1 cm long projection with raised margins, laterally on either side of the projection with a short obtuse tooth; clinandrium concave, truncate, with slightly crenulate margin; rostellum short, bidentate; column-foot hardly developed. Anther 0.18 cm long, cucullate, almost orbicular, glabrous, pollinia narrowly clavate, 0.13 cm long; viscidium 0.03 cm long, ovate. Pedicel with ovary c. 0.5 cm long, 6-ribbed, subterete, glabrous.
(after Schuiteman & de Vogel, 2009)
Leaf sheaths with blackish brown scarious margins Flower pure white, lip with a deep yellow blotch at the base of the epichile; anther pale brown, pollinia yellow.
Epiphyte on trunks of Cyathea atrox in tree-fern savannah. Altitude 2620–2900 m asl.
Malesia (New Guinea, endemic).
Indonesia (Papua Prov., Pegunuan Bintang Regency), Papua New Guinea, Enga, Southern Highlands and Western Highlands Provinces; see map.
Cool growing epiphyte.
July–August.
Agrostophyllum cyatheicola is similar to A. uniflorum Schltr, but differs in the much shorter stems with broader, ancipitous leaf-sheaths and in the somewhat larger flowers with coarsely crenate margins to the midlobe of the lip.
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