Synonyms
Platyclinis dolichobrachia Schltr., Bull. Herb. Boissier, II, 6: 301 (1906).
Dendrochilum meijeri J.J.Wood in J.J.Wood & P.J.Cribb, Check-list Orchids Borneo: 185 (1994).
Origin in the Wild
Sarawak?, Kalimantan
Elevation in the Wild
800-1,000 metres
Habitat in the Wild
This species has only been collected in Kalimantan Timur from Mount Beratus. The plant has been recorded growing as an epiphyte in mossy forest.
The Plants Description
The rhizome grows to 5-6cm long. The pseudobulbs are shaped narrowly cylindrical or fusiform. The pseudobulbs measure 0.6-1.7cm long and 0.2-0.4cm in diameter. The pseudobulbs are covered by 3-4 cataphylls while they are growing. The cataphylls disintegrate into non-persistent fibres as the pseudobulbs mature. The leaves are petiolate; the petiole measures 0.5-1.0cm long. The leaf blades are shaped linear-ligulate and have obtuse apices that are minutely mucronate. The leaf blades measure 3.5-7.5cm long and 0.2-0.6cm wide. There are 3-4 distinct nerves on the blade.
The leaves contain crystalline calcium oxalate bodies within their leaves. The bodies are also present in related species as well.
The Inflorescence
The peduncle is suberect to curved and measures 4-7cm long. The rachis is arching to curved and measures 3.5-8cm long. The rachis is quadrangular in cross-section. The flowers alternate distichously and are spaced 1.5-2mm apart. There are no non-floriferous bracts at the base of the rachis.
The Flowers
The flowers are yellowish-green with a pale brown-red pedicel and ovary (Wood 2001). The dorsal sepal is concave, shaped elliptic to narrowly-elliptic, ligulate and has an acute apex. The dorsal sepal measures 2-3mm long and 0.9mm wide. The dorsal sepal has an entire margin and is one veined. The lateral sepals are shaped ovate-elliptic and have acute apices. The lateral sepals measure 2-3mm long and 0.9mm wide. The lateral sepals have entire margins and are three veined. The petals are shaped linear-ligulate and have acuminate or somewhat obtuse apices. The petals measure 2-2.1mm long and 0.6mm wide. The petals have entire margins and are one veined. The labellum is pandurate and 3-lobed. The labellum measures 1.5-1.6mm long and 2-3mm across its mid-lobe. The side lobes are keel like or slightly falcate shaped obtuse to lanceolate-falcate and have subacute apices. The mid lobe is somewhat concave in its centre, shaped transversely oblong to narrowly hastate. The side lobules are shaped obtuse to subacute; the mid lobule is shaped shortly acuminate to triangular-acute. The margins on the labellum are entire. There are two distinct elevated keels that emerge from the base of the hypochile and finish at the junction between the side lobes and the side lobules. The column measures 1.4-1.5mm long, there is no column foot. The apical hood is short, shaped ovate and has an obtuse apex; the margin is entire. The stelidia grow from the base of the column and are equal or subequal to the column apex. The stelidia are shaped linear-ligulate and have obtuse apices; the stelidia measure 1.4-1.7mm.
Herbarium Specimens
Holotype
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, (K)
Specimen K000078182 (drawing) (Dendrochilum meijeri)
Specimen K000078180 (drawing)
Specimen K000078181 (photo) (Dendrochilum meijeri)
B
Isotype
BO
National Herbarium Netherlands, Leiden (L)
A
Other herbarium specimens
National Herbarium Netherlands, Leiden (L)
Specimen (no bar code) (Dendrochilum meijeri)
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Specimen K000078183 (photo specimen)
Scent
I could find no record.
Flowering Season
Flowering plants have been collected in the wild during April, July, August and October.
Culture
I do not think this species is in cultivation
Similar Species
Dendrochilum devogelii
Dendrochilum cruciforme
Dendrochilum hastilobum
Dendrochilum sublobatum (see this page for the differences)
Other Information
Dendrochilum meijeri was described in 1994 based on plants that were similar but with smaller flowers and stelidia that exceeded the column apex. Jeffrey Wood added D. meijeri to the synonymy of D. dolichobrachium (Wood 2001).
The epithet refers to the long stelidia
Reference –
WOOD, Jeffrey. Dendrochilum of Borneo, 2001. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Malaysia.
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 15 February 2009. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.kew.org/wcsp/ accessed 15 February 2009.