Bulbophyllum prorepens Summerh. 1953 publ. 1954 SECTION Ptiloglossum Lindl. 1862

Drawing © by Vermeullen

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Ground Crawling Bulbophyllum

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in Burundi, Rwanda and Zaire in montane forests at elevations of 1900 to 2400 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with an elongate wiry rhizome with 1 to 4.8" [ 2.5 to 12 cm] between each ovoid to narrowly ovoid, slightly flattened or not, 4 to 6 angled pseudobulb carrying 2 apical, narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, obtuse apically, emarginate, either oblique or not, coriaceous, thick, midrib slightly prominent abaxially, shortly petiolate base leaves that blooms in the late spring and early summer on an erect to patent, rather wiry, 2 to 2.4" [5 to 6 cm] long, glabrous, with 5 tubular, acuminate, membraneous bracts, rachis slightly arching to nodding, terete, slightly zig zag, bent, glabrous, 1.4 to 2.8" [3.5 to 7 cm] long, laxly, many simultaneously open, 10 to 16 flowered inflorescence that is 3 to 4.8" [7.5 to 12 cm] long overall, with membraneous, ovate to ovate-oblonng, subacute, broadly based floral bract and carrying distichous, not fully open flowers with pale green to pale yellow tepals and a yellow lip.

This graceful little species is characterised by the widely creeping habit, with the small pseudobulbs as much as 4.8" [12 cm] apart, the specific epithet being derived from this feature. The species is clearly allied to B. stolzii a native of southern Tanzania and and Malawi, which is similar vegetatively but has much shorter pseudobulbs and leaves. There are also a number of minor floral differences, the most striking of which is in the stelidia of the column. In B. stolzii these are long and subulate whereas in the present species they are considerably shorter and broadly triangular." Summerhayes 1954

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 8: 581 Summerhayes 1953 publ. 1954 Orchid Monographs Vol 3 Vermeullen 1987 drawing fide;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------