Bulbophyllum xiphion J.J.Verm. 1996 SECTION Hirtula Ridley 1908

Photo by © Tom Ballinger and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website

Common Name The Sword-Like Bulbophyllum [refers to the inflorescence]

Flower Size .16” [4 mm]

Found in Sarawak and Kalimantan Borneo in ridge top forests and riverine forests at elevations around 650 to 1050 meters as a small to just medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with .36 to .6” [.9 to 1.5 cm] between each ovoid pseudobulb carrying a single, apical, elliptic to obovate, rounded to obtuse, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the spring on an erect to patent, peduncle to 11.2” [28 cm] long, patent, rachis, somewhat nodding, swollen and flattened, finely rugose-papillose, rachis 4.4 to 6” [11 to 15 cm] long, elongated, rather dense, to 16.8” [42 cm] long overall, successively several, 60 to 70 flowered inflorescence with widely deltoid to triangular, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts.

"At first sight very similar to Bulbophyllum janus J.J.Verm. 2002 The latter differs in having the rachis nodding about 180° at its base, in having ovate lateral sepals with a widely rounded and finely mucronate top part, in having longer and spathulate petals (slightly over 2/3 the length of the median sepal in B. platyrrhachis, slightly over 1/2 in B. xiphion), and in lacking a distinct wing with an erose margin along the upper margin ofthe stelidia." Vermeulen 1996

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Blumea 41:354 J J Vermeulen 1996 drawing fide; Gard. Bull. Singapore 54: 134 J J Verm. 2002 drawing/photo fide; The Bulbophyllum of Borneo Verm. O’Byrne and Lamb 2015 drawing/photo fide

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