Eria benmabantae [Cabactulan, Cootes, M.Leon & R.B.Pimentel] in ed. SECTION Cylindrolobus Bl 1856

TYPE Photos by © Miguel David De Leon and the The Phytoimages Website

Part Shade cool LATE Winter EARLY Spring

Common Name Ben Mabanta's Eria [Philippine orchid enthusiast current]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in the Philippines on Mindanao Island on mossy branches at elevations around 1200 meters as a giant sized, cool growing epiphyte with a cylindrical, erect, elongate, stem-like pseudobulb up to 40" [1 meter] long, carrying lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, apex acute-acuminate, glabrous, entire, fleshy, acute base leaves that blooms in the late winter and early spring on short, axillary, peduncle short, stout, terete, glabrous, .08" [2 mm] long, single-flowered inflorescence bearing 3 to 5 cucullate flowers within cavities on the pseudobulb, all opening at the same time and the flowers do not open widely.

"Eria benmabantai is most similar to Eria longissima Ames & Quis. but differs in the number of flowers per inflorescence, which in Eria benmabantai is single-flowered, whereas Eria longissima is from two to four-flowered. The lateral lobes of the labellum of Eria benmabantai are broadly falcate, midlobe ovate, undulate, base contracted in the center of the labellum between the base of the lateral lobes with single triangular flattened keel between the lateral lobes running below the base of the labellum, whereas Eria longissima has ovate lateral lobes, midlobe broadly ovate with three ridges run the majority of the length of the labellum." Cabactulan, M.D. De Leon, Cootes, and Pimentel 2019

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *OrchideenJ. 6(2): 9 Cabactulan, M.Leon, Cootes & R.B.Pimentel 2018 as Cylindrolobus benmabantai photo fide;

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