Dendrochilum mirabile J.J.Wood 1992 SUBGENUS Platyclinis SECTION Longicolumna
TYPE Species for the section
Plant and Flowers in situ Photos by © B Todd and The Swiss Orchid foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria
Common Name The Grand Dendrochilum
Flower Size .5" [1.25 cm]
Found in Sumatra on stunted trees close to the ground in montane grasslands at elevations of 2300 to 2800 meters as a miniature to just small sized, cold growing epiphyte with a short, branching rhizome with close set, ovoid to cylindrical, , poale yellowish pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, erect, narrowly elliptic, acute, petiolate base leaf that blooms on an erect, arising just as the leaves are fully developed, peduncle flattened, 3.6 to 5.4" [9 to 13.5 cm] long, the rachis arching to pendulous, quadrangular, 3.2 to 4.8" [8 to 12 cm] long, many flowered inflorescence carrying non-resupinate flowers.
The closest species to D mirabile is D planiscapum from the section Platyclinis as they both have a flattened peduncle, non-resupinate flowers and a coiled lip. but D mirabile has shorter broader leaves m a denser inflorescence of smaller flowers that have a much longer column with no stelids.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Sumatra J B Comber 2001 photo fide; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 4 Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase and Rasmussen 2005
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