!Pseudovanilla foliata (F. Mueller) Garay 1986. Photo by © Dr. E.F. de Vogel, courtesy ofAndré Schuiteman and Their Netherlands National Herbarium Website

Plant and Flowers Photo By Dr Leslie Garay

Common Name The few Leafed Pseudovanilla - In Australia The Giant Climbing Orchid

Flower Size 3" [7.5 cm]

Found in Papua New Guinea , Queensland, and New South Wales in humus in grassy forests at elevations of 50 to 1000 meters as a giant sized [can get to 15 meters+ long], climbing, hot to warm growing, mycoheterotrophic, terrestrial orchid with an elongate, thick, glabrous, fractiflex, terete stem with laxly few, elliptic, coriaceous, rigid leaves and blooms in the spring on a simple or paniculate, 1/2" [1.25 cm] long, densely several [10 to 15] flowered inflorescence with minute, triangular, obtuse, floral bracts.

This plant has the amazing capability to regrow itself each year up to 40' high and after flowering the whole growth dries up and dies only to regrow the entire plant again in the next growth season.

Synonyms Erythrorchis foliata F. Muell. 1861; Galeola altissima F.Muell. 1871; Galeola foliata (F.Muell.) F. Muell. 1873; Galeola ledgeri Fitzger. 1885; Galeola montigena Schltr. 1911; *Ledgeria foliata F. Muell. 1861; Pseudovanilla montigena (Schltr.) Ormerod 2001

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1874 as Galeola foliata Drawing fide; The Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1911/85 as Galeola montigena Drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 4 1966 as Galeola foliata; Orchids of Australia Nicholls 1969 as Galeola foliata drawing fide; Orquideologia Vol 15 #2-3 1982 photo good; Orchidiana Philipiniana Vol 1 Valmayor 1984 as Galeola altissima; The Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Lewis & Cribb 1991 drawing fide; Lowland Orchids of Papua New Guinea O'Byrne 1994; Orchids of Papua New Guinea Millar 1999 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 41 pg 2565 - 2625 Brieger 2001 drawing/photo good; Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006 photo fide; Flora Malesiana: Orchids of New Guinea Vol 5 Schuiteman & D de Vogel 2008

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