Malaxis decumbens (Schltr.) P.F.Hunt 1970 SECTION Crepidium

Plant Photos by © Peter O'Byrne and the Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria

Common Name The Decumbent Malaxis

Flower Size

Found in New Guinea and ther Solomon Islands at elevations around 150 meters as a small sized, hot growing terrestrial with a decumbent rhizome giving rise tp an elongate, terete, densely leafy stem carrying erect-patent, obliquely elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuiminateslightly undulate margins, petilalte base leves that blooms in the fall on an erect, graceful, strict to substrict, aangled, to 5.2" [13 cm] long, sublaxly many flowered inflorescence with deflexed, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, equal tothe ovary floral bracts.

Schlechter states that the flowers are either yellow or pale wine red in color, if red then the stem and leaves are of a similar color

Synonyms Crepidium decumbens (Schltr.) Szlach. 1995; *Microstylis decumbens Schltr. 1911

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1911 as Microstylis decumbens drawing fide; The Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Lewis & Cribb 1991;

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