Synonyms
None
Origin in the Wild
Sabah
Elevation in the Wild
1450 metres
Habitat in the Wild
This species has only been recorded from the Sipitang District along a ridge between the Maga and Pa Sia Rivers.
The holotype’s habitat was recorded as “Rather dense primary forest up to 30m high dominated by Agathis and Lithocarpus on poor sandy soil, bedrock sandstone. Much leaf litter, little undergrowth”. This species was recorded as an epiphyte.
The Plants Description
The pseudobulbs cluster on a short and abbreviated rhizome. The pseudobulbs are shaped ovate-elliptic or cylindrical. The pseudobulbs measure 1-1.5cm long and 0.4-0.5cm in diameter. The pseudobulbs are covered by 3 cataphylls while they are growing. The cataphylls disintegrate into non-persistent fibres as the pseudobulbs mature. The leaves are petiolate; no fully developed petiole has been described. The leaf blades are shaped linear-ligulate and have acute apices. The immature leaf blades measure 9.5cm long and 0.3cm wide.
The Inflorescence
The peduncle measures 2.2cm long. The flowers alternate distichously and are spaced 2mm apart. There is 1 non-floriferous bract at the base of the rachis.
The Flowers
The flowers are pale green. The dorsal sepal is shaped oblong and has an acute apex. The dorsal sepal measures 2.5mm long and 0.8mm wide. The dorsal sepal has entire margins and is 3-veined. The lateral sepals are shaped oblong, slightly falcate and have acute apices. The lateral sepals measure 2-2.1mm long and 0.8-0.9mm wide. The lateral sepals have entire margins and are 3-veined. The petals are shaped linear and have acute apices. The petals measure 2mm long and 0.5-0.6mm wide. The petals have entire margins and are 3-veined. The labellum is pandurate and measures 1-1.1mm long and 0.9-1mm at its widest point. The side lobes are rounded to subacute. The mid-lobe is acute and apiculate at its centre. The margins on the labellum are entire. There is U shaped keeled callus on the hypochile. The column measures 2mm long. The apical hood is elongated and has an entire margin. The stelidia grow from the base of the column are shaped ligulate and have obtuse apices. The apices of the stelidia are decurved. The stelidia measure 2-2.1mm long. The stelidia exceed the apical hood but because the tips are decurved they give the appearance that they are shorter.
Herbarium Specimens
Holotype
National Herbarium Netherlands, Leiden (L)
Specimen L0056515 (photo)
Isotype
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Other herbarium specimens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Scent
I could find no record
Flowering Season
This type specimen was collected in flower during October.
Culture
I do not think this species is in cultivation
Similar Species
Dendrochilum cruciforme var. longicuspe
Dendrochilum hastilobum
Dendrochilum dolichobrachium
Dendrochilum cruciforme var. cruciforme
Other Information
This species is only known from the type specimen. This specimen consists of two pseudobulbs, one leaf and one inflorescence.
Jeffrey Wood wrote that this species differs from Dendrochilum cruciforme by its pandurate labellum, longer pedicel and stelidia that are longer that the apical hood and decurved at their apices (Wood 2001).
The epithet refers to Dr E.F. de Vogel of the National Herbarium in the Netherlands. Dr de Vogel collected the type.
Reference –
WOOD, Jeffrey. 1997, Orchids of Borneo volume 3. The Sabah Society, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
WOOD, Jeffrey. Dendrochilum of Borneo, 2001. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Malaysia.
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 14 February 2009. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.kew.org/wcsp/ accessed 14 February 2009.