Orchids of New Guinea

Genus Schoenorchis

Schoenorchis Reinw. ex Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 361

Small monopodial epiphytes. Stem very short or elongated. Leaves many, arranged in two rows, sheathing at the base, glabrous, dorso-ventrally flattened or terete, deciduous, duplicate, leathery to carnose. Inflorescence lateral, a raceme or a panicle. Flowers small to very small, resupinate, sometimes brightly coloured. Sepals free. Petals free, somewhat smaller than the sepals. Lip spurred, not mobile, about as long as the petals or longer, spur inside without callosities, sometimes with a longitudinal dividing wall inside near the apex. Column-foot absent. Pollinia 4, about equal-sized, arranged in 2 bodies, solid, caudicles absent, stipe present, viscidium present.

Distribution:

Sri Lanka, tropical continental Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Pacific islands, east to Samoa. About 20 species; in New Guinea cabout 2 species.

Habitat:

Epiphytes in lowland forest.

Classification:

Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Vandeae
Subtribe Aeridinae
Genus Schoenorchis

Notes:

A genus of miniature monopodial orchids, of which a few continental Asian species are occasionally cultivated by amateur orchid growers. Schoenorchis is rather similar to Smitinandia and Abdominea; in these two genera, neither of which occurs in New Guinea, the mouth of the spur is partly closed by an erect callus, whereas no such callus occurs in Schoenorchis.

Genus Schoenorchis in New Guinea is present with 2 species:

Schoenorchis micrantha
Schoenorchis sarcophylla