Tropidia disticha Schltr. 1905

Inflorescence and Buds Photo by Wolfgang Bandisch © and the Orchids of New Guinea Website

LATE THROUGH

Common Name The Distichous Tropidia [refers to the distichous bracted inflorescence]

Flower Size 1/4" [.65 cm]

Found in New Guinea, Bismark Archipelago and the Solomon Islands in deep shade in primary forests at elevations of 30 to 1200 meters as a small to medium sized, hot to cool growing terrestrial with plicate, lanceolate, acute, dark green leaves that blooms in the spring, summer and fall on 1 to 3, terminal, 1.2 to 7.2" [3 to 18 cm] long, inflorescence with distichous, triangular, acute bracts

Locally this orchid is mixed with lye and a dye is made to stain cloth.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchidaceae of German New Guinea Schlechter 1911 drawing ?; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 5 257- 320 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1974; The Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Lewis & Cribb 1991 drawing fide;

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