Synonyms
Dendrochilum mantis J.J.Sm., Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, III, 11: 108 (1931).
Origin in the Wild
Kalimantan, Sarawak
Elevation in the Wild
1400-2400 metres
Habitat in the Wild
Within Sarawak this species has been found on Mount Mulu, Mount Batu Lawi, Batu Tiban Hill and Mount Murud. In Kalimantan this species has been collected from the summit of Raya Hill, Mount Kemul and on Mount Buduk Rakik.
Jeffrey Wood described the habitat as lower and upper montane forest, mossy forest, exposed places in cloud forest and montane ericaceous forest. This species can be found growing as an epiphyte, lithophyte or terrestrial (Wood 2001).
The Plants Description
The rhizome is elongate and branched with internodes of 0.9-3cm long. The pseudobulbs are spaced 1.5-6.5cm apart along the rhizome, often at an acute angle and are shaped narrowly cylindrical or cauliform. The pseudobulbs measure 5-13cm long and 0.3-0.4cm in diameter. The pseudobulbs are covered by 3-4 cataphylls while they are growing. The cataphylls disintegrate into persistent fibres as the pseudobulbs mature. The leaves are petiolate; the petiole measures 0.4-2cm long. The leaf blades are shaped narrowly elliptic and have shortly obtuse or acute apices. The leaf blades measure 5.5-18cm long and 1.0-3.5cm wide. The leaves are somewhat conduplicate, coriaceous and have 5-9 distinct nerves. The leaves are pale brownish green or pale green.
The Inflorescence
The inflorescence is synanthous. The peduncle is erect and measures 5-11cm long. The rachis is erect to gently curved and measures 17-28cm long. The rachis is quadrangular in cross-section. The flowers alternate distichously and are spaced 2-3.2mm apart. There is 1 non-floriferous bract at the base of the rachis, rarely 2.
The Flowers
Jeffrey Wood wrote that the flowers are greenish yellow tinged with brown and with a light salmon pink labellum or sepals and petals greenish yellow, light brown, pale salmon-pink or pale green flushed with pink, the labellum pink deep red, peach, pale orange with a red mid-lobe and yellow side lobes (Wood 2001). The dorsal sepal is concave, shaped ovate-oblong to oblong-elliptic and has a shortly acute to acuminate apex. The dorsal sepal measures 3-3.7mm long and 1.2-1.5mm wide. The dorsal sepal has an entire margin and is three veined. The lateral sepals are subcarinate, concave, shaped slightly obliquely oblong-ovate and have shortly acute to acuminate apices. The lateral sepals measure 3-3.6mm long and 1.4-1.7mm wide. The lateral sepals have entire margins and are three veined. The petals are concave, shaped obliquely narrowly elliptic, sometimes somewhat falcate and have acute apices. The petals measure 2.8-3.5mm long and 0.8-1mm wide. The petals have entire margins and are one to obscurely three veined. The labellum is subentire, three veined and decurved at its middle. The labellum measures 2-2.6mm long and 1.4mm wide. The side lobes are obscure, erect, shaped quadrangular or semi-orbicular. The mid-lobe is papillose, shaped broadly ovate-triangular, rounded at its base and has an acute apex. The margins are undulate. There are 2 prominent semi-orbicular keels that run from the base to the margin of the side lobes and terminate at the base of the mid-lobe. The column is curved and measures 2mm long. The column foot is prominent. The apical hood is elongate and has an obtuse, rounded or obscurely 3-lobed apex. The stelidia grow upwards from the base of the column and exceed the column apex. The stelidia are shaped linear-ligulate, spathulate-truncate and have convex apices. The stelidia measure 2.2-3.1mm.
Herbarium Specimens
Holotype
BO (possibly destroyed - Jeffrey Wood (2001))
Isotype
National Herbarium Netherlands (L)
I could not locate the specimen
SAR
Other herbarium specimens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
National Herbarium Netherlands (L)
Specimen L0056511 (photo) (Holotype of Dendrochilum mantis)
SAR
E
KEP
MO
SAR
SING
AMES
BO
Scent
Yes
Flowering Season
Flowering plants have been collected in the wild from April to June, August to October and during December. The most common flowering month in Sarawak appears to be October.
Culture
I do not think this species is in cultivation
Similar Species
Dendrochilum subintegrum
Dendrochilum lancilabium
Other Information
Jeffrey Wood wrote (2001) that this species is closely allied to Dendrochilum subintegrum but differs by its narrower leaves, broader labellum mid-lobe, keels that extend to the margin of the side lobes and stelidia that exceed the column apex.
J.J. Smith described Dendrochilum mantis from a specimen collected in Kalimantan. Jeffrey Wood wrote that J.J. Smith must have overlooked Dendrochilum longipes when he described it. From studying the type Jeffrey Wood concluded it was conspecific with Dendrochilum longipes and he added it to its synonymy.
The epithet refers to the long rhizomes and pseudobulbs.
Reference –
BEAMAN, Teofila, WOOD, Jeffrey, BEAMAN, Reed, BEAMAN, John. 2001, Orchids of Sarawak, Natural History Publications Borneo, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
WOOD, Jeffrey. Dendrochilum of Borneo, 2001. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Malaysia.
WOOD, Jeffrey. 2003, Orchids of Borneo volume 4. The Sabah Society, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 25 May 2009. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.kew.org/wcsp/ accessed 25 May 2009.