Calanthe caulescens J.J.Sm. 1911 SUBGENUS Calanthe SECTION Rhodochilus

Inflorescence and leaves Photos © by Paul Noben

Type drawing of C apostasioides Drawing by Schlechter and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Stem Forming Calanthe

Flower Size .88" [2.2 cm] long

Found in New Guinea on ridges at elevations around 2300 to 3450 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with a cauliform, decumbent, elongate, terete, shortly tomentose rhizome giving rise to simple, terete, glabrous, densely leafy stems carrying strict to substrict, erect to spreading, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, 1.2 to 1.6" [3 to 3 cm] long, petiolate base leaves that blooms in the fall, winter and spring on a lateral, erect, peduncle .8 to 2.4" [2 to 6 cm] long, terete, glabrous, rachhis flattened and nodally thickened, sublaxly 4 to 10 flowered inflorescence that is shorter than the leaves and with erect to suberect, glabrous, elliptic, acuminate floral bracts.

Schlechter states that the flowers are white with a shiny red lip lamina.

Synonyms Calanthe apostasioides Schltr. 1912; Calanthe salmoniviridis P.Royen 1979; Styloglossum caulescens ( J.J.Sm. ) T.Yukawa & P.J.Cribb 2014

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1912 as Calanthe apostasioides drawing fide; The Orchids of The High Mountains of New Guinea Royen 1979 as Calanthe salmoniviridis; The Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Lewis & Cribb 1991 as C apostasioides drawing ok; The Genus Calanthe Cribb & Clayton 2013 drawing/photo fide

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