Species Information - Peristylus grandis

Peristylus grandis Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 405; Tab. & Pl. Jav. Orchid. (1825) t. 30

Type: Blume 2059 (Mt. Salak) (syn L 3x); Kuhl & van Hasselt s.n. (syn L)

Synonyms:

• Habenaria grandis Forbes, Nat. Wand. East. Archip. (1885) 519 (non Benth. ex Ridl., nom. nud.)
• Habenaria gigas Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 (1890) 160
  - Type: Wray s.n. (Perak, Batong Padang Valley)
• Peristylus gigas (Hook.f.) Kraenzl., Orchid. Gen. Sp. 1 (1898) 504
• Peristylus grandis Blume var. papuanus J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 8, 1 (1909) 3, pl. 1, fig. 1
  - Type: Versteeg 1541 (holo BO)
• Habenaria gigas Hook.f. var. papuana (J.J.Sm.) Ames & C.Schweinf., Orchidaceae 6 (1920) 8
• Habenaria dolichocaulon Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 1 (1911) 6
  - Type: Schlechter 17414 (holo B, lost)
• Peristylus dolichocaulon (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt, Kew Bull. 26 (1971) 177

Stem stout, fleshy, c. 27 cm long; covered with large, tubular, c. 2-12.5 cm long sheaths, the upper ones leaf-like. Leaves c. 5 crowded at stem apex, oblong-elliptic, 14-20 by 5-6 cm, acutely acuminate, long mucronate, at the base narrowed into a short broad petiole. Inflorescence erect, straight, elongated, narrow, laxly many-flowered; peduncle 28 cm long, with several erect, lanceolate, gradually narrowed-acuminate, papillose-finely ciliate, 0.5 [‘5’]-2 cm long peduncle-scales; rachis 20 cm long. Floral bracts erect, surpassing the ovary, ovate-lanceolate, gradually narrowed, acute, concave, papillose-finely ciliate, inside especially near the base sparsely puberulous, 1-nerved, 1.5-2.5 cm long. Flowers 1.4 cm wide. Median sepal forming a helmet-shaped structure with the petals, horizontal, at base ovate, narrowed to the apex, obtuse, concave, dorsally papillose, especially towards the apex finely ciliate, 1-nerved, 0.7 by 0.25 cm. Lateral sepals divergent, with strongly incurved, almost tubular margins, obliquely oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, narrowed at the base, dorsally papillose, ciliolate, 0.9 by 0.23 cm, with a rather long subulate, dorsally near the apex papillose apicule. Petals strongly oblique, concave, glabrous, 2-nerved, along the exterior margins for 0.23-0.25 cm adnate to the column, subelliptic, along the exterior margins in the middle obtusely dilated, 0.8 cm long, 0.33 cm wide, rather long acuminate, very tip subacute. Lip at the base for 0.25 cm adnate to the column, spurred; spur deflexed, obovoid-elliptic, rounded, at the base constricted, 0.47 cm long, 0.23 cm diam.; blade porrect, concave, in outline oblong-obovate, to 2/5 of their length 3-lobed, with a longitudinal keel inside from the base to the apex, 0.77 by 0.44 cm; lateral lobes lanceolate-triangular, acute, slightly falcate, 0.23 cm long; mid-lobe a little longer, narrowly triangular, obtuse, convex, 0.26 cm long. Column 0.27 cm long; auricles porrect, parallel, oblong, subretuse, finely warty; the anther a little longer; rostellum with a short mid-lobe, thick; stigmatophore linear, along its entire length adnate to the margins of the lip and the column. Anther obtuse, locules parallel, narrowed at the base. Ovary erect, at the apex recurved, almost rostrate, 6-grooved, glabrous, 1.5 cm long. (After Smith, 1909, as Peristylus grandis var. papuanus J.J.Sm.)

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