Eria benchaii [[J.J.Wood & A.L.Lamb] in ed SECTION Cylindrolobus Bl 1856

Drawing by © Andrew Brown

EARLY

Common Name or Meaning Ben Chai's Eria [Bornean Discoverer of species current]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Sabah Borneo in hill forest at elevations of 600 to 1000 meters as a medium sized, warm growing epiphyte with clustered, simple, cane-like, horizontal to pendent, leafy stems carrying narrowly elliptic, tapering to an asymetrical, subacute apex, thinly coriaceous, shortly cuneate below into the base leaves that blooms in the early fall on 3 arising along the lower part of the stem, lateral, glabrous, greenish yellow, .32" [8 mm] long, 1 to 3 flowered inflorescence with oblong-elliptic, subacute, golden yellow, longer than the ovary floral bracts spirally arranged flowers with white sepals and petals, mentum stained pink beneath, lip orange basally side lobes white, midlobe orange to brownish, keels brown, underside with a aple brown median strip, apex brown to orange, column white flushed with pinl, the foot with an ornage patch apically and a pale brown anther cap.

Similar to Eria pilifera Ridl. 1896 but E benchaii has a 3 flowered inflorescence a lip midlobe abruptly tapering into a minutely papillose, densely brown hirsute fleshy tongue which lacks a semi-globular call, papillose callus covering the entire surface.

Synonyms Callostylis benchaii (J.J.Wood & A.L.Lamb) J.M.H.Shaw 2017; Cylindrolobus benchaii J.J.Wood & A.L.Lamb 2014;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Malesian Orchid J. 14: 35 J.J.Wood & A.L.Lamb 2014 Drawing fide;

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