Bulbophyllum reifii Sieder & Kiehn 2009 SECTION Ploiarium Schlechter 1925

Drawing by © Perrier and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Full shade Warm Cool EARLY Summer

Common Name Reif's Bulbophyllum

Flower Size .32 to .36" [8 to 9 mm] long

Found in Madagascar in humid, mossy, evergreen forests at elevations of 800 to 1600 meters as a miniature to small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with .6 to 1" [1.5 to 2.5 cm] between each narrowly oblong, 4 angled pseudobulbs carrying 2, apical, lingulate, obtuse, gradually retracting towareds the base leaves that blooms innthe early summer on a thin, few bracted, peduncle 2.4 to 3.2" [6 to 8 cm] long, rachis thicker, .6 to 1.08" [1.5 to 2.7 cm] long, 3 to 4.4" [7.5 to 11 cm] long overall, loosely, 6 to 10 flowered inflorescence with very widely oval, subacute, concave floral bracts and carrying glabrous flowers.

CAUTION For 85 years this orchid originally described by Schlechter as B rhizomatosum 1924 and found in Madagascar has searched for a species name that was valid. Ames in 1920 and Schlechter himself in 1923 had both used the name B rhizomatosum previously so this name was invalid. Kittridge described Bulbophyllum obtusilabium in 1985/86 and because of Schlechter's double use of the name B rhizomatosum it was put forward as a valid name for this species but Kittridge was describing a plant from Papua New Guinea [Now validly B macranthoides] which also has a synonym named B rhizomatosum described by Schlechter in 1923 so it is invalid as well. In 2009 Anton Seider and Mr Kiehn renamed B rhizomatosum Schltr. 1924 as B reifii and so it is today. Also all references attributed to B obsusilabium occuring in Madagascar are in error as it is found in Papua New Guinea and now is refered to as B macranthoides.

Synonyms Bulbophyllum rhizomatosum Schltr. 1924

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora of Madagascar Perrier 1939/81 as B rhizomatosum drawing fide in error see B reifii; Orchids of Madagascar Herman, Du Puy Cribb & Bosser 2007 as B obtusilabium in error; Field Guide to the Orchids of Madagascar Cribb & Herman 2009 in error see B reifii;

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