Bulbophyllum latibrachiatum J.J.Sm. 1908 SECTION Brachypus Schlechter 1913

Drawing by © Neville H.S. Howcroft

Common Name The Broad Bracted Bulbophyllum

Flower Size .72" [1.8 cm]

Found in New Guinea on trees in Metroxylon sagu swamps at elevations of 700 to 1000 meters as a miniature to small sized, warm growing epiphyte with a short, creeping rhizome enveloped by large, membraneous sheaths and giving rise to oblong-ovoid, somewhat laterally compressed pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, erect, shining pale green, lanceolate, acute, acuminate, midrib grooved above, prominent and obtuse beneath, margin recurved, narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on a fasciculate from the nodes of the rhizome, very short, peduncle .24" [.6 cm] long, entirely covered by clasping, large, tubular, obtuse, long subulate-mucronate sheaths, single flowered inflorescencecarrying a fleshy flower with yellow sepals, inside with 7 to 9 reddish stripes, transparent petals, with 3 dark purple stripes and the margin with dark purple spots, a white lip, dark purple-marbled, a whitish tinged red column, the stelidia pale green, the column-foot reddish in front and a stigma with a red margin.

Synonyms Bulbophyllum latibrachiatum var. epilosum J.J.Sm. 1913

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1913

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