Bulbophyllum falcatum [Lindley]Rchb.f 1861 SECTION Megaclinium G A Fischer & J J Verm in prep. TYPE for the section
Photos by © Egon Krogsgaard
Photo by Jay Pfahl
Photo by Nik Fahmi
Photo by Nick Doe
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Common Name Sickle-Shaped Leaf Bulbophyllum
Flower Size up to 1/2" [up to [1.2 cm]
Found in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Central African Republic, Cameroons, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Rwanda, Zaire, Uganda and Kenya in lowland and submontane forests at altitudes below 1800 meters as a small sized, hot growing, bifoliate epiphyte or occasional lithophyte with broadly to narrowly ovoid, 2 to 4 angled pseudobulbs carrying 2 apical, lanceolate or linear leaves that blooms in winter through spring on a 6.4" [to 16 cm] long, spicate inflorescence with a very flattened, strongly undulate rachis carrying short-stalked flowers horizontally aligned on either side of the flattened rachis.
Synonyms Bulbophyllum arnoldianum (De Wild.) De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum bakossorum Schltr. 1905; Bulbophyllum brixhei De Wild. 1916; Bulbophyllum bufo (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1861; Bulbophyllum dahlemense Schltr. 1919; Bulbophyllum deistelianum (Kraenzl.) Schltr. 1905; Bulbophyllum falcatum var. bufo (Lindl.) Govaerts 1996; Bulbophyllum falcatum var. velutinum (Lindl.) J.J.Verm. 1992; Bulbophyllum fractiflexum Kraenzl. 1912; Bulbophyllum hemirhachis Pfitzer 1908; Bulbophyllum kewense Schltr. 1914; Bulbophyllum lanuriense De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum leptorrhachis Schlechter 1905; Bulbophyllum longibulbum Schltr. 1905; Bulbophyllum lubiense De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum melanorrhachis (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1875; Bulbophyllum millenii (Rolfe) Schltr. 1905; Bulbophyllum minutum (Rolfe) Engl. 1908; Bulbophyllum minutum var. purpureum (De Wild.) De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum oxyodon Rchb.f 1888; Bulbophyllum rhizophorae Lindl. 1861; Bulbophyllum seretii De Wild. 1916; Bulbophyllum simonii Summerh. 1935; Bulbophyllum solheidii De Wild. 1916; Bulbophyllum ugandae (Rolfe) De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum velutinum (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1861; Megaclinium arnoldianum De Wild. 1905; Megaclinium angustum Rolfe 1922; Megaclinium brixhei De Wild. 1916; Megaclinium bufo Lindl.1841; Megaclinium deistelianum Kraenzl. 1902; Megaclinium endotrachys Kraenzel 1905; *Megaclinium falcatum Lindley 1826; Megaclinium gentilii De Wild. 1902; Megaclinium hemirhachis Pfitzer 1908; Megaclinium lanuriense De Wild. 1921; Megaclinium lasianthum Kraenzl. 1912; Megaclinium melanorrhachis Rchb.f. 1875; Megaclinium millenii Rolfe 1897; Megaclinium minutum Rolfe 1893; Megaclinium minutum var. purpureum De Wild. 1911 ; Megaclinium oxyodon Rchb. f. 1888; Megaclinium seretii De Wild. 1916; Megaclinium solheidii De Wild. 1916; Megaclinium ugandae Rolfe 1913; Megaclinium velutinum Lindl. 1847; Phyllorchis bufo (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Phyllorchis falcata (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Phyllorchis rhizophorae (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Phyllorchis velutina (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as B kewense; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as B rhizophorae; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Megaclinium minutum drawing fide; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Megaclinium falcatum drawing ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 2 1957 as Megaclinium bufo; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 # 10 1963 as B melanorrhachis; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 # 10 1963 as B velutinum; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 # 10 1963; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as B rhizophorae; Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968 photo ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 38 #4 1969 photo fide; Miniature Orchids Northen 1980; Die Orchideen lieferung 13 753 - 816 Bulbophyllinae 1983; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 drawing fide; Orchid Monographs Vol 2 A Taxonomic Revision of the Continental African Bulbophyllinae Vermuellen 1987 drawing/photo fide; The Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Laurent 1992 photo fide; An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1992 photo fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 #6 1997 photo fide; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 10 2001 photo; Bulbophyllums and Their Allies Seigerist 2001 as B bufo; Bulbophyllum and Their Allies Seigerist 2001; Bulbophyllum and Their Allies Siegerist 2001 as B velutinum; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2001; Les Orchidees de Cote d'Ivorie Perez-Vera 2003 photo/drawing fide; Les Orchidees de Cote d'Ivorie Perez-Vera 2003 as B melanorrhachis photo/drawing fide; Flora's Orchids Nash & La Croix 2005; Miniature Orchids Frownie 2007; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide; Bulbophyllum: the incomplete Guide From A to why? Bill Thoms 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 83 #6 2014 photo fide; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 6 Epidendroideae Pt 3 Pridgeon, Cribb Chase & Ramussen 2014; Orchidaceae Of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko, Ejsmont, Baranow, Grochocka, Nowak, Margonska and Naczk 2015 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #3 2016 as Megaclinium falcatum drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #4 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #7 2017 photo fide;
OrchidDigest Vol 88 #4 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #8 2019 photo fide;
Bulbophyllum falcatum [Lindley] Rchb.f 1861 var bufo Vermeulen
Photos by Rudi Hromniak and his © Orchid Webpage
Found in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Zaire and Uganda at elevations of sealevel to 500 meters as a hot to warm growing epiphyte with conical pseudobulbs carrying two, apical, elliptic, acute leaf that blooms on a basal, 12" [30 cm][ long, several to many flowered inflorescence.
The rachis is slightly longer to 11" + [28 cm long], petals ovate, not thickened towards the apex, with successive, few at a time, yellow to white flowers with red-purple spots
Synonyms Bulbophyllum bakossorum Schltr. 1905; Bulbophyllum bufo (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1861; Bulbophyllum deistelianum (Kraenzl.) Schltr. 1905; Bulbophyllum longibulbum Schltr. 1905; Bulbophyllum lubiense De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum seretii De Wild. 1916; Megaclinium bufo Lindl.1841; Megaclinium deistelianum Kraenzl. 1902; Megaclinium gentilii De Wild. 1902; Megaclinium seretii De Wild. 1916; Phyllorchis bufo (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 # 10 1963 as B bufo; Orchid Monographs Vol 2 A Taxonomic Revision of the Continental African Bulbophyllinae Vermuellen 1987 photo/drawing fide; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 10 2001 photo fide; Bulbophyllum and Their Allies Siegerist 2001; Les Orchidees de Cote d'Ivorie Perez-Vera 2003 as B bufo photo/drawing fide; Orchidaceae Of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko, Ejsmont, Baranow, Grochocka, Nowak, Margonska and Naczk 2015 as B bufo drawing/photo fide
Bulbophyllum falcatum var. velutinum (Lindl.) J.J.Verm. 1992
Photo by © Pieter C. Brouwer and his Nature Photo Website
Found in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Gulf of Guinea Islands, Zaire and Rwanda
Synonyms Bulbophyllum arnoldianum (De Wild.) De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum brixhei De Wild. 1916; Bulbophyllum fractiflexum Kraenzl. 1912; Bulbophyllum kewense Schltr. 1914; Bulbophyllum lanuriense De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum melanorrhachis (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1875; Bulbophyllum millenii (Rolfe) Schltr. 1905; Bulbophyllum minutum var. purpureum (De Wild.) De Wild. 1921; Bulbophyllum rhizophorae Lindl. 1861; Bulbophyllum simonii Summerh. 1935; Bulbophyllum velutinum (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1861; Megaclinium angustum Rolfe 1922; Megaclinium arnoldianum De Wild. 1905; Megaclinium brixhei De Wild.1916; Megaclinium lanuriense De Wild. 1921; Megaclinium lasianthum Kraenzl. 1912; Megaclinium melanorrhachis Rchb.f. 1875; Megaclinium millenii Rolfe 1897; Megaclinium minutum Rolfe 1893; Megaclinium minutum var. purpureum De Wild. 1911; Megaclinium solheidii De Wild. 1916; *Megaclinium velutinum Lindl. 1847; Phyllorchis rhizophorae (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchid Monographs Vol 2 A Taxonomic Revision of the Continental African Bulbophyllinae Vermuellen 1987 photo/drawing fide; Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997; Bulbophyllum and Their Allies Siegerist 2001; Les Orchidees de Cote d'Ivorie Perez-Vera 2003 as B velutinumphoto/drawing fide; Orchidaceae Of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko, Ejsmont, Baranow, Grochocka, Nowak, Margonska and Naczk 2015 as B velutinum drawing/photo fide
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