Current Genus: Genus Dendrobium section Calyptrochilus
Next Taxon: Genus Dendrobium section Conostalix
Dendrobium calcaratum
Dendrobium calcaratum A.Rich., in D'Urv., Voy. Astrol., Bot. (1834) 18, fig.
Type: A. Richard s.n. (P, holo, lost).
Synonyms:
- Dendrobium achillus Rchb.f., Otia Bot. Hamburg 1 (1878) 55, nom. nud.
- Dendrobium separatum Ames, J. Arnold Arbor. 13 (1932) 133.
- Type: Kajewski 503, Santa Cruz Archipelago (holo AMES; iso AMES, BRI). - Pedilonum separatum (Ames) Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 463
- Dendrobium triviale Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 25 (1898) 604.
- Type: Reinecke 422, Samoa (holo B, lost; lecto G, isolecto HBG, US). - Pedilonum triviale (Kraenzl.) Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 464.
Epiphyte, herbaceous. Stems clustered, pendent, branched, ribbed, to 1.5 m long; baseswollen, in upper part leafy. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 9-16 by 1.3-1.7 cm, acute, unequally bilobed at apex. lnflorescences several, lateral, pendent, from nodes near apex of old leafless stems, 10- to 18-flowered, with the basal flowers developing first; peduncle up to 2 cm long. Pedicel and ovary c. 1 cm long. Flowers fleshy, not opening widely, c. 1.5 cm long. Dorsal sepal oblong, 0.5-0.6 cm by 3 mm, concave. Lateral sepals oblong, 1.4-1.5 cm by 3-4 mm wide, concave; mentum cylindrical, 8-9 mm long, obtuse, appressed to the ovary. Petals elliptic-lanceolate, 0.5-0.6 cm by 2-3 mm, upper margin erose. Lip with the saccate basal portion fused to the column-foot, the free portion obovate, 9-10 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, with the lateral margins inrolled, and with an erose margin at the apex, the basal and apical parts of the lip divided by a transverse lamella. Column 2-3 mm long with an 8 mm long column-foot.
(after Lewis & Cribb, 1991).
Stems yellow-green turning red-brown or maroon with age. Flower pale to bright orange, apricot, golden yellow, sometimes coral-red or flesh-coloured; ovary green or yellow-green or red-orange; mentum tinged pink on the dorsal side; column orange; anther buff-red to brown; pollinia cream-colour to orange.
Epiphyte in lowland forest. Altitude 300 m.
New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga.
Papua New Guinea (Madang Province).
Warm growing epiphyte.
June.
- Family Orchidaceae
- Subfamily Epidendroideae
- Tribe Dendrobieae
- Tribe Dendrobieae
- Genus Dendrobium
- Section Calyptrochilus
- Species Dendrobium calcaratum
- Dauncey, E.A. 2003. Harvard Pap. Bot. 7 (2003) 186, fig. 7 A-J.
- Lewis, B. & P.J. Cribb. 1991. Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville: 191.
Dendrobium calcaratum A.Rich. is a robust lowland member of section Pedilonum, recognised by the pendulous racemes of light orange flowers that do not open widely.
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Dendrobium calcaratum
Dendrobium calcaratum A.Rich., plant habit and flower analysis, in D'Urv., Voy. Astrol., Bot. (1834) 18, fig.
Dendrobium calcaratum
Dendrobium calcaratum A.Rich. subsp. calcaratum, flower analysis, drawing Liz Dauncey, from Hoogland 6455, in Dauncey, Harvard Pap. Bot. 7 (2003) 186, fig. 7 A-J.