Dendrochilum flos-susannae J.J.Wood 1997SUBGENUS Platyclinis SECTION Platyclinis

TYPE Drawing by © Susanna Stuart-Smith

Common Name The Susanna Flower Dendrochilum [Bristish free lance artist, resposible for most all J J Woods Dendrochilum of Borneo 2001 including this one!Drawings current]

Flower Size 1 to 1.4" [2.5 to 3.4 cm]

Found in Sarawak Borneo in primary mixed dipterocarp forests at elevations around 200 meters as a miniature to small sized, hot growing epiphyte with a with close set, ovoid, pale green, smooth pseudobulbs carrying a single, elliptic, acute t oobtuse, thin textured, gradually narrowing below into the canaliculate, petiolate base leaf that blooms in the winter on a pendulous, peduncle to 8.6" [21.5 cm] long, provided with a single, ovate-elliptic, acute bract, rachis quadrangular, [13 to 28 cm] long, laxly 16 to 32 flowered inflorescence with ovate-elliptic, acute, apiculate much longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying slightl fragrant flowers with light brownish olives tepals, a light orange basally, side lobes dark chocolate braown, midlobe light brownish olive with dark chocolate, brown leels separated by by a thin orange line, column very pale salmon pink, anther cap cream colored and the pollina pale yellow.

D flos-susannae is similar to D megalanthum from Sumatra and is the largest flowered species of Dendrochilum in Sumatra. It is distinguished from D megalanthum by the even larger flowers with a lip with a longer clawed, rhomboid mid lobe of the lip. It differs from D gracile and D oxylobum by its much larger flowers. Also the lip keels are not united by a transverse thickening with an elevated median nerve to form an "M" Shaped structure as in D gracile.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Dendrochilum of Borneo Wood 2001 drawing fide; Orchids of Sarawak Beaman, Wood & Beaman etal 2001;

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