Orchids of New Guinea

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Dendrobium brillianum

Dendrobium brillianum Ormerod & Cavestro, Orchidophile (Asnières) 165 (2005) 99, fig. 1.

Type: Demmeni s.n. (holo L).

Synonyms:

Dendrobium odoardii non Kraenzl.: J.J. Sm., Nova Guinea 14 (1929) 419, t. 65-71.
Durabaculum kolposense M.A. Clem. & D.L. Jones, Orchadian 13: 488. 2002. (nom. inval., type not cited).

Rhizome and stem not preserved. Leaves leathery, ovate-oblong, 14 by 4.7 cm; apex obtuse and obliquely bilobed. Inflorescences loosely 9-22 flowered; peduncle 10-11 cm; rachis 6.5-16 cm long. Floral bracts concave, 5-angular, acute, 0.4 cm long. Pedicel and ovary 3.9 cm long. Median sepal recurved, oblong-elliptic, 2.1 by 0.95 cm; apex obtuse. Lateral sepals recurved, obliquely subtriangular-oblong, 2.3 by 1.2 cm; apex obtuse;mentum 1.45 cm long. Petals spatulate, emarginate, half-twisted, erect, 2.65 by 1.1 cm, claw 1.2 by 0.275 cm; terminal blade elliptic, 1.4 by 1.1 cm. Lip 3-lobed, 2.85 by 2.1 cm (without the claw 0.7 cm long); hypochile 5-angular, 2.1 by 2.1 cm; lateral lobes obtuse; epichile transversely elliptic-subquadrangular, 0.75 by 1.3 cm; apex subapiculate; keels 5, from the lip base to the middle of the epichile, median keel in the apical part higher and undulating, inner lateral keels less high beyond the middle, outer lateral keels verrucose and crenulate, slightly higher in the apical part. Column thick, 0.77 cm long; stelidia deltoid, slightly curved; column foot 1.4 cm long.
(after Ormerod & Cavestro 2005)

Colours:

Lateral sepals on the outer surface yellowish, white at the base and brown suffused yellow on the inner surface; petals pale yellow with brown margins on the outer surface, suffused purple at the base and brown suffused yellow on the inner surface. Lip outer surface of lateral lobes pale green with a narrow brown margin, inner surface veined brown with a broad dark brown margin; epichile lemon yellow veined brown; keels at the base violet, to the apex pale yellow suffused violet. Column white with the apical margin violet, laterally streaked violet, in front densely dotted purple; anther pale yellow, apex white.
(after Ormerod & Cavestro 2005)

Habitat:

Not recorded; probably lowland rain forest. Altitude not known, probably low.

Distribution:

Malesia (Papua New Guinea)

Distribution New Guinea:

Indonesia, Papua Province, Jayapura Regency

Cultivation:

Warm growing epiphyte.

Flowering time in the wild:

Not recorded.

Classification:

Family Orchidaceae
Subfamily Epidendroideae
Tribe Dendrobieae
Subtribe Dendrobiinae
Genus Dendrobium
Section Spatulata
Dendrobium brillianum

Notes:

D. brillianum resembles Dendrobium odoardii Kraenzl. but differs in the smaller flowers with lateral sepals 2.3 cm long and petals are 2.65 cm long (versus 3.2 and 3.5 cm, the 5-keeled lip (versus 3 keels) and the transversely elliptic to subquadrangular midlobe (versus trapezoid).