Dendrochilum karoense J.J.Wood 1992 SUBGENUS Platyclinis SECTION Eurybrachium
Plant and Flowers in situ Sumatra Photos by © J B Comber and The Swiss Orchid foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria
Common Name The Karo Dendrochilum [An area of north central Sumatra]
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in northern Borneo in exposed locations on rocks in full sun at elevations of 1550 to 1625 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing lithophyte with a branching rhizome giving rise to crowded, ovate, green turning brownish in exposed locations pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, slender, linear-elliptic, more or less obtise but minutely apiculate, narrowing abruptly below into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the fall on a thin, erect peduncle, 1.44 to 1.68" [3.6 to 4.2 cm] long, arising on developing pseudobulbs, rachis erect to arching, 1 to 1.28" [2.5 to 3.2 cm] long, 10 to 15 flowered inflorescence.
Similar to D carinatum which has 4 keels on the lip, acute stelids and the arise from the apical half of the column. D karoense has only 2 keels at the center of the lip, the stelids are obtuse and arise from near the column base. D lamellatum is also similar but it is smaller in almost all respects and it has 4 ribs instead of 2 on the lip, the petals are erose, and the column arms are shorter and shaped differently.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Sumatra J B Comber 2001 Photo fide;
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