Genus Dendrobium section Conostalix
Genus Dendrobium sect. Conostalix Kränzl. in Engl., Pflanzenr. IV: 50. II. B. 21 (1910) 160. Type species: Dendrobium conostalix Rchb.f. (basionym: Dendrobium calcaratum Lindl., nom. illeg., non A.Rich.).
Synonyms:
- Genus Conostalix (Kränzl.) Brieger in Schltr., Orchideen ed. 3, 1 (1981) 659. Type species: Dendrobium conostalix Rchb.f. (basionym: Dendrobium calcaratum LindJ., nom. illeg., non A.Rich.).
Rhizomes short to somewhat elongated, creeping. Stems clustered. elongated and slender, cane-like,often branching, wiry or fleshy, if fleshy then longitudinally grooved, many-leaved, with or without apical growth continuing for several seasons. Leaves long lasting; leaf sheaths covered with short black or dark brown hairs (at least when young; absent in some Bornean species). Inflorescences lateral, short, 1- to few-flowered, lateral on the leafy stems . Flowers rather small, usually not resupinate, more or less pendulous, lasting at least several days; mentum prominent, long, spur-like. Lipadnate to the column foot, not mobile, often 3-lobed, rather fleshy and usually with few to several low crests.
Burma, Thailand, Indochina, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands. About 12 species; in New Guinea 4 species.
Epiphytes in lower montane forest or terrestrial in rather open, swampy places at low to moderate altitudes, often in Sphagnum moss.
- Family Orchidaceae
- Subfamily Epidendroideae
- Tribe Dendrobieae
- Subtribe Dendrobiinae
- Genus Dendrobium
- Section Conostalix
- Lavarack, B., W. Harris & G. Stocker. 2000. Dendrobium and its relatives. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.
Dendrobium section Conostalix (Kränzl.) Brieger is similar to Dendrobium sect. Distichophyllae Hook.f.. The main, if not the only difference is found in the hairy leaf sheaths of sect. Conostalix. In addition, several (but not all) species of sect. Conostalix have very thin, branching stems, while those of sect. Distochophyllae are distinctly fleshy and unbranched. In the species with branching stems, the branches are characteristically held in a vertical position. The small, dull-coloured flowers are among the least attractive of all dendrobiums.
Dendrobium section Conostalix contains c. 12 species; in New Guinea 4 species:
Dendrobium cadetiiflorum
Dendrobium lobbii
Dendrobium melanotrichum
Dendrobium striatiflorum
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Genus Dendrobium section Conostalix
Dendrobium lobbii Teijsm. & Binn., as Dendrobium paludicola Schltr., drawing R. Schlechter in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1928) t. 210, fig. 794