Orchids of New Guinea

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Dendrobium chalmersii

Dendrobium chalmersii F.Muell., S. Sci. Rec. 2 (1882) 96 (publ. May 1882).

Type: Chalmers s.n.

Synonyms:

Dendrobium vandiflorum Rchb.f., Gard. Chron. (1882, II) 520 (publ. October 21, 1882).
- Type: Veitch cult. (Macfarlane) s.n.
Dendrobium cincinnatum F.Muell., Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 1 (1884) 113.
- Type: Not designated (F.Muell. cult.?).
Dendrobium copelandianum F.Muell. & Kraenzl., Österr. Bot. Zeitschr. 45 (1895) 179.
- Type: Copeland King s.n. (1894, Bartle Bay, E New Guinea) (holo HBG).
Trachyrhizum chalmersii (F.Muell.) Brieger, in Schltr., Orchideen, ed. 3, I/A (1981) 687

Stems erect, slender, 40-80 cm by 10 mm, upper part more slender, leafy in apical half. Leaves linear-lanceolate, c. 10 by 3 cm, pergamentaceous, apex unequally bilobulate, the longer lobule obtuse. Inflorescences from the upper part of the stem, racemose, patent, 8-10 cm long, 5-12-flowered. Floral bracts linear, about as long as the pedicel with ovary. Flowers 2-3 cm long. Dorsal sepal reflexed, ovate, apex acuminate. Lateral sepals twisted; mentum short, obtuse. Petals a little shorter than the dorsal sepal, linear, spirally twisted, margins serrulate. Lip 3-lobed in the middle, with 3 keels, these at the base fused into a solid backwards pointing appendage; lateral lobes erect, rhombic; midlobe transversely oblong, undulating.
(largely after Kraenzlin, 1910 - as Dendrobium cincinnatum, and Lavarack et al., 2000).

Colours:

Sepals and petals creamy white, lip ochrish yellow, with purple veins on the lateral lobes.

Habitat:

Epiphyte in rainforest. Altitude 0 to 500 m.

Distribution:

New Guinea, Lousiades.

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua New Guinea (Milne Bay Province)

Cultivation:

Warm growing epiphyte, needs watering throughout the year.

Flowering time in the wild:

April, May, August, September.

Literature:

Kraenzlin, F. 1910. Orchidaceae-Monandrae-Dendrobiinae I. In A. Engler, Das Pflanzenreich IV.50.II.B.21: 151, 152.
Lavarack, B., W. Harris & G. Stocker. 2000. Dendrobium and its relatives: 271.

Notes:

The spirally twisted petals of Dendrobium chamersii suggest section Spatulata, but the papillose roots and the lip with a basal appendage firmly place this curious orchid in section Brevisaccata.