Orchids of New Guinea

Prev Taxon: Genus Dendrobium section Cadetia subsection Sarcocadetia

Current Genus: Genus Dendrobium section Calyptrochilus

Next Taxon: Genus Dendrobium section Conostalix

Prev Species: Dendrobium dillonianum

Jump:

Next Species: Dendrobium eumelinum

Dendrobium erosum

Dendrobium erosum (Blume) Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl. (1830) 86.

Synonyms:

Pedilonum erosum Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 323.
- Type: Blume s.n. (Java, Mt. Salak) (holo L NOT FOUND).
Callista erosa (Blume) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. (1891) 654.
Chromatotriccum erosum (Blume.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones, Orchadian 13 (2002) 494
Dendrobium aemulans Schltr., in K.Schum. & Lauterb., Nachtr. Fl. Deutsch. Schutzgeb. Südsee (1905) 176; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21 (1923) t. 173, fig. 647.
- Type: Schlechter 14329 (holo B, lost).
Pedilonum aemulans (Schltr.) Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 457.
Chromatotriccum aemulans (Schltr.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones, Orchadian 13 (2002) 493

Basionym: Pedilonum erosum.

Rhizome very short, roots elongated, filiform, flexuose, glabrous. Stems crowded, erect, slender, up to 70 cm by 5-6 mm, densely many-leaved; unbranched. Leaf sheaths entirely covering the stem. Leaves patent-erect, lanceolate-ligulate, 6-9.5 by 1.3-2.2 cm, apex obliquely apiculate. Inflorescences lateral from the stem, racemose, short, densely many-flowered. Floral bracts ovate-triangular, short, apex acuminate, much shorter than the pedicel and ovary. Pedicel and ovary 2.3 cm long, slender, glabrous. Flowers resupinated or not, c. 2 cm long. Dorsal sepal broadly elliptic, 0.8 cm long, apex obtuse. Lateral sepals obliquely broadly elliptic, widened at the base, 0.8 cm long, apex obtuse; mentum oblongoid, c. 12 mm long, slightly constricted in the middle, obtuse. Petals obliquely obovate, c. 0.7 cm long, margins subserrulate near the apex, apex subapiculate. Lip strongly convex, in outline ligulate-subpandurate, 1.5 by 0.5 cm, below the middle with a low transverse lamella, apical margin densely lacerate-serrulate; apex hood-like. Column short, clinandrium 3-lobulate, the lateral lobules unequally bidentate, the median tooth-like; column-foot concave, 1.2 cm long. Anther quadrate-cucullate, at the back emarginate, in front truncate, minutely serrulate.
(after Schlechter, 1905 - as Dendrobium aemulans).

Colours:

Flowers pink to violet-pink.

Habitat:

Epiphyte in hill and lower montane forest. Altitude (0-) 600 to 1200 m.

Distribution:

Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua New Guinea (Sandaun, Enga, and Madang Provinces; Manus Island, New Britain).

Cultivation:

Intermediate growing epiphyte.

Flowering time in the wild:

January, April, July, November.

Literature:

Schlechter, R. 1912. Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1: 512.
Lewis, B. & P.J. Cribb. 1991. Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville: 158, fig. 44 a-k.
O'Byrne, P. 1994. Lowland Orchids of Papua New Guinea: 294, fig., pl.

Notes:

One of the few members of the Calyptrochilus group that is widely distributed outside New Guinea. Similar to Dendrobium rutriferum, but with an irregularly fringed, not denticulate, margin to the lip.