Species Information - Dendrobium constrictum

Dendrobium constrictum J.J.Sm., Bull. Dép. Agric. Indes Néerl. 19 (1908) 15; Nova Guinea 8, 1 (1909) 79, t. 27, fig. 87; Nova Guinea 8, 3 (1911).

Type: Versteeg 1509 (iso L, as 1509 A).

Synonyms:

• Dendrobium molle J.J.Sm., Bull. Dép. Agric. Indes Néerl. 19 (1908) 18; Nova Guinea 8, 1 (1909) 79, t. 27, fig. 88.
  - Type: Versteeg 1509 (holo BO).
• Pedilonum molle (J.J.Sm.) Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 461.
• Dendrobium mimiense Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1912) 506; 21 (1923) t. 172, fig. 640.
  - Type: Schlechter 19473 (holo B, lost).
• Pedilonum mimiense (Schltr.) Brieger, in Schltr., Orchideen, ed. 3, I/A (1981) 679 ('miniense').

Rhizome short, creeping, strongly branching. Stems 0.5-1.3 cm apart, 2-3-leaved at apex, cylindrical, the shorter ones fusiform, 2.5-9 cm long. Leaf sheaths tubular, black-punctate. Leaves lanceolate, 3-12 by 1.1-2 cm, apex obtusely bidentate. Inflorescences arising laterally from the leafless stems, racemose, short; rachis 1.5-2 cm long, thick, many-flowered. Floral bracts widely patent, broadly ovate-triangular, 0.4 by 0.3 cm, acuminate, concave, papillose, outside black-punctate, fleshy, 3-nerved. Pedicel and ovary 1 cm long, 6-grooved, minutely punctate. Flowers 1.3 cm long. Dorsal sepal oblong- to lanceolate-ovate, 0.58-0.67 cm by 2.5 mm, 3-nerved, apex conduplicate-acuminate, sharply acute. Lateral sepals obliquely triangular, 0.65 cm by 0.9 mm, apex subulate-acuminate; concave, obtusely keeled, outside near the apex papillose, 4-nerved; mentum oblong-conical, 0.6 cm long, obtuse, appressed to the ovary, front margins connate for 2 mm. Petals elliptic- to lanceolate-ovate, 0.43-0.54 cm by 2-2.4 mm, concave, 3-nerved, margins ciliate to weakly ciliolate, except at base, apex obtuse to acute. Lip constricted a little below the middle, divided into a hypochile and an epichile, longitudinally grooved outside, 1.1-1.3 cm long, base shortly saccate-adnate to the column-foot, with a transverse thickening at the constriction, hypochile elliptic, 0.5-0.6 by 0.3 mm, concave, epichile elliptic, 0.6-0.7 by 0.35-0.4 cm, in upper part more or less fimbriate-ciliolate, apex obtuse to acutely acuminate. Column slightly recurved, dorsally compressed, 0.25 cm long, clinandrium with two large obliquely truncate auricles, stigma semiorbicular to obovate; column-foot linear, 0.7 cm long, parallel to the ovary, fleshy, convex inside, concave outside, near the apex with a subelliptic cavity. Anther cucullate, flat and quadrangular in front, apex truncate, puberulous. Pollinia 4, united into two obovoid bodies.
(after Smith, 1911).

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