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 shramii

Jump:

Next Species: Dendrobium spiculatum

Dendrobium smillieae

Dendrobium smillieae F.Muell., Fragm. 6 (1867) 94.

Type: Dallachy s.n. (Rockingham).

Synonyms:

Coelandria smillieae (F.Muell.) Fitzg., Austral. Orchids 1, 7 (1882) t. 7.
Callista smillieae (F.Muell.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. (1891) 655.
Pedilonum smillieae (F.Muell.) Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 464.
Dendrobium hollrungii Kraenzl., in K.Schum. & Hollr., Fl. Kais. Wilh. Land (1889) 32.
- Type: Hollrung 699 (holo HBG; iso K).
Dendrobium smillieae F.Muell. var. hollrungii (Kraenzl.) J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 12, 4 (1916) 338.
Pedilonum hollrungii (Kraenzl.) Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 460.
Dendrobium kaernbachii Kraenzl., Österr. Bot. Zeitschr. 44 (1894) 163.
- Type: Kaernbach s.n. (Kaiser Wilhelmsland) (holo B, lost).
Dendrobium pachyceras F.Muell. & Kraenzl., Österr. Bot. Zeitschr. 44 (1894) 164.
- Type: Copeland King s.n. (1893) (holo HBG).
Pedilonum pachyceras (F.Muell. & Kraenzl.) Rauschert, Feddes Repert. 94 (1983) 462.
Chromatotriccum pachyceras (F.Muell. & Kraenzl.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones, Orchadian 13 (2002) 495

Rhizome short. Stems crowded, erect, cylindrical, tapering to both ends, fleshy, obtusely angled, becoming broadly grooved with age, 25-65 cm by 12-17 mm, many-leaved, internodes 2.5-3.5 cm long, shorter in the upper part of the stem. Leaf sheaths tubular, as long as the internodes, with thin raised lines. Leaves widely patent, lanceolate, sometimes subovate, 6-13.5 by 2.2-4 cm, apex acute, thinly coriaceous, narrowly keeled below. Inflorescences arising laterally from leafless stems, racemose, 6-7 cm long, cylindrical; peduncle 0.8 cm long, rachis angular, densely many-flowered. Floral bracts narrowly triangular, 0.25-0.4 cm long, apex acuminate, acute, concave. Pedicel c. 1 cm long, sigmoid; ovary 0.75-1 cm long, 6-grooved. Flowers patent to recurved, 2.2-2.7 cm long, fleshy. Dorsal sepal ovate, 0.95-1.2 cm by 5.5-6 mm, apex obtuse, finely erose. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate, 0.95-1.2 cm by 7 mm, apex obtuse; mentum spur-like, straight, oblong-obovoid, 1.1 cm long, 0.7 cm wide, dorsally compressed, truncate. Petals obliquely obovate-oblong, 0.9-1.1 cm by 4-5 mm, 3-nerved, apex obtuse. Lip narrow, concave, very fleshy, constricted in the middle, divided by a transverse lamella into a hypochile and an epichile, 1.75-2.1 cm long, base parallel with and shortly adnate to the column-foot, hypochile ovate, flattened 0.8-1 by 0.55 cm, epichile strongly concave, when flattened obtriangular, 1 by 0.9-1 cm when flattened, 0.48-0.5 cm wide in natural position, inside with a slightly thickened longitudinal median band, apex rounded-truncate, on either side with an incurved rounded lobule. Column 0.43-0.45 cm long, clinandrium deeply concave, 3-lobulate, the lateral lobules broad, truncate, the median as long, subulate; stigma oblong-linear, rostellum at it apex with a reversed tooth; column-foot 0.85 cm long, in basal fourth with a deeply transverse groove opposite the transverse lamella on the lip, in apical half widened, strongly concave and provided with a longitudinal keel. Anther cucullate, in front convex, apex truncate, pubescent. Pollinia narrow.
(after Smith, 1909).

Colours:

Sepals and petals greenish white, tips green, mentum pale purple, less often greenish white, lip shiny dark green, at the base pale purple or less often greenish white, golden yellow in the middle. Column pale green, anther with dark purple margins; pollinia shiny, dull purple. Leaves shiny, green, when young often dark purple.

Habitat:

Epiphyte in lowland rainforest and coastal forest, rarely lithophytic. Altitude 0 to 450 m.

Distribution:

New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Aru Islands, Australia (Queensland).

Distribution New Guinea:

Papua (Manokwari, Yapen Waropen, Jayapura, and Merauke Regencies; Misool and Waigeo Islands); Papua New Guinea (Gulf, Sandaun, Madang, Central, and Milne Bay Provinces; New Britain).

Cultivation:

Warm growing epiphyte, prefers light but humid conditions and excellent drainage.

Flowering time in the wild:

Almost throughout the year. Flowers last one to two months (fide O'Byrne).

Literature:

Smith, J.J. 1909. Nova Guinea 8, 1: 80.
Schlechter, R. 1912. Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1: 510.
Schlechter, R. 1923. Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 21: t. 173, fig. 646.
O'Byrne, P. 1994. Lowland Orchids of Papua New Guinea: 286, fig., pl.

Notes:

An unmistakable species with its shiny dark green hooded lip. In Australia, and no doubt also in New Guinea, it is pollinated by birds (fide O'Byrne).