Current Genus: Genus Dendrobium section Calyptrochilus
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Dendrobium limpidum
Dendrobium limpidum Schuit. & de Vogel, J. Orchideenfr. 10 (2003) 315, colour phot., drawing.
Type: Leiden cult. 20030306 (de Vogel & Vogel) (holo LAE; iso K, L [all spirit material]).
Synonyms:
Epiphyte. Roots from base of stem and branches, 0.05 cm diam., glabrous. Rhizome very short. Stems pendulous, straight, sparsely branching, 8–35 by 0.2–0.3 cm at the base, higher up swollen and fleshy, to 0.7 cm diam.; internodes 0.4–0.5 cm long, longitudinally grooved with age, densely many-leaved. Leaves deciduous, thin, all in one plane, twisted to one side, ovate to broadly ovate, 1.3–1.8 by 0.3–1 cm; sheaths longer than and covering the internodes, glabrous; margins irregularly sparsely papillate mainly along apical half; apex oblique, obtuse to subacute. Inflorescences from some internodes on the swollen part of leafy and leafless stem, 0.09–0.12 cm long, 8–10-flowered; peduncle 0.1 cm long; rachis straight, c. 0.8–1.1 cm long, basally with few sterile bracts. Floral bracts broadly ovate, glabrous, 0.45 by 0.25 cm; apex acuminate-cuspidate, tip recurved; 3-nerved. Pedicel with ovary narrowly clavate, curved, minutely papillose, 1.6–1.9 cm long; ribs 6: 5 large, 1 small. Flower 0.9–1.5 cm long, lasting about six weeks, without smell. Sepals outside minutely irregularly papillose, obtuse, obtusely apiculate. Median sepal narrowly ovate-elliptic, 0.48 by 0.2 cm; 3-nerved. Lateral sepals obliquely narrowly ovate-elliptic, much elongated in basal part, in total 1.4 by 0.3 cm, 5-nerved; mentum narrowly conical-cylindrical, 0.9 cm long, its apex obtuse, the closed apical part 0.4 cm long. Petals elliptic, incurved, 0.45 by 0.16 cm; margin in upper half finely irregularly fringed; apex obtuse; 1-nerved. Lip when flattened spathulate, 1.2–1.3 by 0.35 cm, at 0.45 cm above the base with a U-shaped transverse lamella; apical part elliptic, incurved, finely fringed along apical margins, its apex rounded, cucullate. Column rectangular, 0.2 cm long; wings truncate; filament subulate; column foot linear, c. 1 cm long; stigma transversely rectangular, 0.15 cm wide; rostellum swollen, transversely oblongoid. Anther cucullate-rectangular, 0.1 cm wide, minutely papillose; at base retuse; apex truncate and minutely papillose-pubescent. Fruit not seen.
(after Schuiteman & de Vogel, 2003)
Roots white, tips dull orange. Leaves dark green, sheaths when young red-brown. Flowers (including ovary) bright mauve-purple, the lip, petals and column paler so; in some specimens, but not in the type specimen, the lip is orange in the centre. Pollinia brownish, somewhat transparent, with whitish glue secreted from rostellum.
Epiphyte in montane river valley forest, oak and Araucaria forest. Altitude 1500–2100 m.
Malesia (New Guinea)
Papua New Guinea; see map
Intermediate growing epiphyte, requires moderately shaded position.
In cultivation in Hortus botanicus Leiden flowering observed in January-March, May-August, November-December.
- Family Orchidaceae
- Subfamily Epidendroideae
- Tribe Dendrobieae
- Subtribe Dendrobiinae
- Genus Dendrobium
- Section Calyptrochilus
- Subsection Tridentifera
- Species Dendrobium limpidum
Dendrobium limpidum is superficially similar to D. dichaeoides, but differs in the deciduous leaves, strictly pendulous, not creeping and spreading stems, leaves that are not clearly bilobed at the tip and that are dark green instead of pale bluish green. The lip has a cucullate, not flat apex, and the apical margins of the petals and lip are fringed. In D. dichaeoides the stems sometimes, but not always, root along their entire length, while in D. limpidum roots arise only at the bases of the stem and the branches. In living specimens of D. limpidum studied, the tips of the petals and lip were incurved towards each other, reducing the entrance to the column to a narrow slit.
Some variation exists in the width of the leaves, specimens with 0.5 or even 0.3 cm wide leaves have been observed, sometimes even on specimens which have also much wider leaves.
The specimen Hartley 13699, collected near Onamuga in the Eastern Highlands Prov. of Papua New Guinea, resembles D. limpidum in having leaves that drop off when they die, but the stems appear to be creeping and rooting along their length, the lip is narrow and pointed, not fringed, while the petals are also very narrow and not fringed. As it can neither be identified as D. dichaeoides nor as D. limpidum, it may be yet another undescribed species.
All specimens of D. limpidum studied originate from East Papua New Guinea, while all material of D. dichaeoides studied was collected to the west of this area. It is not clear if the distribution areas of the two species overlap. The distribution map given by DAUNCEY (2003, map 31) for D. dichaeoides is to be used with caution, as it includes records of D. limpidum.
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Dendrobium limpidum
Dendrobium limpidum Schuit. & de Vogel, J. Orchideenfr. 10 (2003) 315, colour phot., drawing. Drawn by Anita walsmit Sachs from type: Leiden cult. 20030306 (de Vogel & Vogel).
Dendrobium limpidum
Dendrobium limpidum Schuit. & de Vogel, J. Orchideenfr. 10 (2003) 315, colour phot., drawing. Drawn by Anita Walsmit Sachs from type: Leiden cult. 20030306 (de Vogel & Vogel)