Synonyms
None
Origin in the Wild
Sumatra
Elevation in the Wild
1550-2600 metres
Habitat in the Wild
This species has been collected on Mount Malintang (Mount Sago) and Mount Singgalang in West Sumatra. Jim Comber wrote that he found this species to be common just north of Lake Toba in Northern Sumatra.
The Plants Description
The pseudobulbs are spaced 1cm apart along a creeping but short rhizome. The roots are thick for a Dendrochilum. The pseudobulbs are shaped oval to ovoid and are set at an acute angle to the rhizome. The pseudobulbs measure 1.7-3.6cm long. The leaves are petiolate; the petiole measures 3cm long. The leaf blades are shaped lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate and narrow abruptly at their apices. The apex is apiculate. The leaf blades measure c13cm long and c2.9cm long.
The Inflorescence
The inflorescence is synanthous and appears at the same time as the immature pseudobulbs before the leaves have started subtending. The peduncle measures 4.5-12.5cm long. The rachis measures 7.25-11cm long. The rachis is quadrangular in cross-section, laterally flattened and covered with tiny hairs. The flowers are spaced 6.5mm apart.
The Flowers
The flowers are one of the larger in the genus and are greenish-brown with a brown labellum, the column is yellowish. The labellum has a cream coloured ridge along its centre; the ridge runs the entire length of the labellum. Jeffrey Wood’s photo has 12 flowers on the inflorescence. The sepals and petals recurve inwards. The dorsal sepal is shaped broadly lanceolate and has an acute apex. The dorsal sepal measures 1.2cm long and 4.25mm wide. The lateral sepals are shaped obliquely lanceolate and have acute apices. The petals are shaped obliquely ovate and have acuminate to acute apices. The petals measure 1.2cm long and 4.6mm wide. The labellum is porrect, 3-lobed and measures c9.5mm long. The side lobes are close to the base of the hypochile and are shaped triangular with acute apices; their margins are minutely dentate. The mid-lobe is shaped ovate and has an acute apex. The mid-lobe measures c6.5mm long and c5.3mm wide. The column arches inwards and measures c4.6mm long. The apical hood is broad and curved upwards at its apex, the margin is minutely dentate. The stelidia grow from the lower 1/3rd of the column are shaped linear and do not reach the column apex.
Herbarium Specimens
Holotype
I could not find the specimen
Isotype
National Herbarium Netherlands, Leiden (L)
Specimen L0059374 (photo)
Specimen L0059375 (photo)
Other herbarium specimens
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (K)
Scent
I could find no record
Flowering Season
Flowering plants have been collected in the wild during January, February and August.
Culture
I do not think this species is in cultivation
Similar Species
None
Other Information
Jim Comber wrote that this species is similar in many respects to Dendrochilum basale; however the flowers are very different.
Reference –
COMBER, J.B. Orchids of Sumatra, 2001, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 08 January 2009. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.kew.org/wcsp/ accessed 08 January 2009.