Dendrochilum cruciforme J.J.Wood 1994 SUBGENUS Platyclinis SECTION Cruciformia TYPE For the sectionP> Photo/ by © C L Chan
Drawing of D cruciforme var cruciforme
Photo/TYPE Drawings by © J J Wood
Common Name The Cross Shaped Dendrochilum [refers to the lip]
Flower Size .16" [4 mm]
Found in northern Borneo in mossy forests at elevations of 900 to 2000 meters and in the var longicuspe 2000 to 2500 meters as a miniature sized, clump forming, warm to cool, and in the var longicuspum cold growing epiphyte with cylindrical to narrowly fusiform, erect pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, coriaceous, 3 to 4 nerved, narrowly linear, subacute to acute, narrowing below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms at most any time of the year on an erect, gently curving, peduncle 1 to 2.6" [2.5 to 6.5 cm] long, without bracts, rachis quadrangular, 1.4 to 2.6" [3.5 to 6.5 cm] long, densely many flowered inflorescence with ovate, acute, longer than the ovary floral bracts.
D cruciforme is similar in habit to D graminodes but is different in the cream to white flowers instead of yellow and usually has a purplish brown blotch on the lip simmilar to D gibbsiae, a cruciform lip with a narrowly triangular-acuminate, cuspidate midlobe and a column with longer linear-ligulate, obtuse stellida and an elongated apical hood. But D gibbsiae differs from D cruciforme in the much smaller stature, shorter, narrower, grass-like leaves a shorter inflorescence with slightly smaller flowers and a 3 not five lobed lip as wel las a longer column. The habit and floral structure also resembles D dolichobrachium but D cruciform has shorter keels, broader, triangular to triangular-ovate side lobes and a much smaller narrowly triangular-acuminate, cuspidate mid lobe. It si different from D devogelii by the slender, short pedicel, cruciform lip, and shorter stelida.
Synonyms Dendrochilum cruciforme var. longicuspum J.J.Wood 1994
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994 Drawing fide; *A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo Wood & Cribb 1994 as D cruciforme var longicuspum Drawing fide; Orchids of Borneo Vol 3 Wood 1997 drawing fide; Orchids of Borneo Vol 3 Wood 1997 as D criciforme var longicuspum drawing fide; Dendrochilum of Borneo Wood 2001 drawing fide; Dendrochilum of Borneo Wood 2001 as D criciforme var longicuspum drawing fide; Orchids of Sarawak Beaman & Wood etal 2001; The Orchids of Mount Kinabalu Vol 1 Wood, Beaman, Lamb, Chu Lun and Beaman 2011 drawing/photo fide; The Orchids of Mount Kinabalu Vol 2 Wood, Beaman, Lamb, Chu Lun and Beaman 2011 drawing fide; The Orchids of Mount Kinabalu Vol 2 Wood, Beaman, Lamb, Chu Lun and Beaman 2011 as D cruciforme var longiscapa drawing fide;
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