SECTION Ptiloglossum Lindl. 1862

TYPE: Bulbophyllum barbigerum Lindley 1837

Synonyms SECTION Calamaria Schlecter; SECTION Trichopus Schlechter 1924

Characterized by being epiphytes, lithophytes or terrestrials with creeping rhizomes giving rise to pseudobulbs carrying 1 or 2 leaves that blooms on an elongate to contracted, racemose, 1 to many flowered inflorescence with the rachis not to hardly thickened, usually round in section, sometimes slightly angular. The floral bracts are usually shorter to as long as the flowers [B pandanetorum has floral bracts longer than the flower]. The flowers are spirally to distichously arranged and are resupinate or not and have free sepals that are glabrous abaxially. The lip is mobile and undivided exept in B nigritianum which is trilobed. The margins are glabrous to long ciliate and are thick and solid at least at the base. The anther is without an abaxial protrusion or with a rounded protrusion that may overtop the anterior margin and carries 2 to 4 pollina.

There are thirty species at this time only in Africa occuring in savannah woodlands, mangroves, lowland and montane forests at elevations up to 2400 meters.

Species with a star are absolutely within this section those without may or may not be.

1. Bulbophyllum alinae Szlach. 2001 Madagascar

2. Bulbophyllum ballii P.J.Cribb 1977 Zambia and Zimbabwe

3. *!Bulbophyllum barbigerum Lindley 1837 Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Zaire

4. Bulbophyllum bavonis J.J.Verm. 1984 Tanzania

5. Bulbophyllum blepharochilum Garay 1999 Cameroon

6. Bulbophyllum burttii Summerh. 1953

7. Bulbophyllum calvum Summerh. 1966 Nigeria and Cameroon

8. Bulbophyllum caniceps Hermans, Sieder & Andriant. 2021 Madagascar

9. Bulbophyllum capituliflorum Rolfe 1906 Gabon, Congo and Zaire

10. *Bulbophyllum cochleatum Lindl. 1862 Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Rwanda, Zaire, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Zambia

11. Bulbophyllum cocoinum Bateman ex Lindl. 1837 Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Zaire, Angola and Uganda

12. Bulbophyllum danii Pérez-Vera 2003 Ivory Coast

13. Bulbophyllum expallidum J.J.Verm. 1984 Zaire, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania

14. Bulbophyllum inornatum J.J.Verm. 1987

15. Bulbophyllum intertextum Lindl. 1862 Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Sao Tome e Principe, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Seychelles Islands

16. Bulbophyllum ivorense P.J.Cribb & Pérez-Vera 1975 Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Zaire

17. Bulbophyllum jaapii Szlach. & Olszewski 2001 Cameroon

18. Bulbophyllum josephi (Kuntze) Summerh. 1945Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Rwanda, Zaire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe

19. Bulbophyllum kivuense J.J.Verm. 1986 Rwanda

20. Bulbophyllum mediocre Summerh. ex Exell 1959 Principe and Sao Tome

21. Bulbophyllum nigericum Summerh. 1962 Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon

22. *Bulbophyllum nigritianum Rendle 1913 Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Gulf of Guinea Islands Gabon and Zaire

23. *Bulbophyllum pandanetorum Summerh. 1953 publ. 1954 Gabon

24. Bulbophyllum pipio Rchb.f 1876Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon

25. Bulbophyllum prorepens Summerh. 1953 publ. 1954 Burundi, Rwanda and Zaire

26. Bulbophyllum pumilum (Sw.) Lindl. 1830 Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Gabon, Zaire and Uganda

27. Bulbophyllum rugosibulbum Summerh. 1960 Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi

28. *Bulbophyllum saltatorium Lindl. 1837 Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Central African Republic, Zaire, Rwanda, Angola and Uganda

29. Bulbophyllum scariosum Summerh. 1953 Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and the Gulf of Guinea Islands

30. Bulbophyllum schimperianum Kraenzl. 1902 Liberia, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Zaire and Uganda

31. *Bulbophyllum schinzianum Kraenzl. ex De Wild. & T. Durand 1862 Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroons, Gabon and Zaire

32. Bulbophyllum stolzii Schltr. 1915 Tanzania and Malawi

33. Bulbophyllum subligaculiferum J.J.Verm. 1987 Gabon

34. Bulbophyllum tremulum Wight 1844-53 India

35. Bulbophyllum vanum J.J.Verm. 1984 Gabon and Zaire

36. Bulbophyllum vulcanicum Kraenzl. 1914 Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Uganda