Glomera inconspicua J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea, Botany 18:27 (1935)– Type : van Leeuwen 9069 (holotype, L)
Glossorhyncha inconspicua (J.J.Sm.) P.Royen, Folia Geobot. Phytotax 9(1):83 (1974)
Growth form Epiphyte, up to 23 cm high. Rhizome 2-3 mm in diameter. Roots filiform, 8 cm long, flexible, glabrous, twisted. Stem branched, cylindrical, proliferously leafed, internodes 0.3-0.5 cm long. Leaf ovate-lanceolate to oblong-ovate; apex unequally 2-lobed, both lobe obtuse; base shortly petiolate; lamina 0.78-1 cm long, 1.9-3 mm wide, brown spots on both sides, carnose, petiole 0.01-0.07 cm long; sheath tight, warty mostly near apex; apex toothed, with bristled margin, bristles 0.10-0.25 cm. Inflorescences terminal, one-flowered, when young enveloped by a spathe. Spathe ovate, transparent, with brown dots, with minute bristles along the margin, 3-nerved, 0.42-0.44 cm long, 0.27 cm wide; apex obtuse, apiculate; floral bract lanceolate, transparent, thin, with brown dots, sometimes with minute bristles, 1-nerved, 0.4 cm long, 0.12-0.15 cm wide; apex acuminate. Flower upside-down, glabrous, 0.6 cm wide. Median sepal oblong, 3-nerved, 0.33-0.38 cm long, 0.11-0.15 cm wide; apex obtuse, apiculate; Lateral sepal obliquely oblong, slightly falcate, 4-nerved, 0.32-0.34 cm long, 0.15-0.24 cm wide; apex obtuse, apiculate, apiculum sparsely denticulate; base shortly connate, clasping the base of the spur. Petal obovate-lanceolate, with brown spots, 3-nerved, 0.35-0.37 cm long, 0.1-0.13 cm wide; apex narrowed, obtuse. Lip square-oblong, erect margins, concave, 0.2-0.23 cm long, 0.23 cm wide, 3-lobed; epichile midlobe triangular, acute, brownish color, with brown glands mostly near apex, slightly thickened, recurved, lateral lobes rounded, margins minutely irregular, making an obtuse angle with the midlobe; hypochile 7-8 nerved, spurred; spur 0.23-0.34 cm long, pointing backwards, cylindrical, obtuse. Column 0.13 cm long, glabrous, dorsally convex, in the middle somewhat constricted, without column foot; apex curved inward; clinandrium transverse, hollow, rounded back wall, irregularly lacinulate, triangular, obtuse; stelidia tooth-like; stigma concave, lower margin strongly elongated, initially appressed to the rostellum, later recurved, margin broadly incurved, apex channeled, contracted, minutely erose, thin membranous; rostellum first porrect and concave, later recurved with convex side. Anther ca. 1 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide; pollinia pear-shaped, ca. 0,5 mm long long, ca. 0,5 mm wide; viscidium not seen. Ovary cylindric, curved, 6-ribbed, warty, 0.25-0.32 cm long. Capsule not seen.
Distribution – Indonesia, Papua New Guinea.
Habitat and Ecology – Epiphyte in lowland forest. Altitude 150 m. Flowering in May in the wild and in September in the greenhouse in Leiden.
Notes - 1. Flowers white with greyish ornamentation on the tip of the lip, yellowish anther, white column. Not fragrant.
3. The epithet inconspicua refers to the very small, inconspicuous flower.
4. Some difference were observed with the type material. HBL20030080, HBL20030212 and HBL20081733 from Hortus botanicus Leiden have longer internodes, a bigger spathe and floral bracts and larger flowers and there are appendages on the hypochile present that are lacking in the type. HBL20081733 is the most similar to the type. It might be that HBL 20030080 and 20030212 are Glomera fuscosetosa Schuit. & de Vogel instead.
4. Specimen observed: L0061330, L4163409 (HBL 20030080), L1509698 (HBL 20030212), HBL20081733.