Glomera fruticula J.J.Sm.

Glomera fruticula J.J.Sm., Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 2(2):5 (1911)– Type : A.C. de Kock 104 (holotype, BO spirits specimen 720.14) – Neotype Pulle (Versteeg)  2468 (neotype BO; isoneotype K)

Glossorhyncha fruticula (J.J.Sm.) Schltr., Feddes Repert Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih 1:293 (1912)

Giulianettia fruticula (J.J.Sm.) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 58:84 (1922)

 

Growth form Terrestrial, spreading to erect, up to 45 cm high. Rhizome 3-3,6 mm in diameter. Root filiform, up to 9 cm long, flexible, glabrous. Stem very much branched, cylindrical, laterally compressed, rigid, proliferously leafed, 0.2 cm in diameter, internodes 0.2-1.2 cm long. Leaf oblong-lanceolate, carnose, convex below, slightly curved; apex obtuse; base short, petiolate-contracted; lamina 0.3-1.2 cm long, 0.1-0.25 cm wide; sheath tight, tubular, densely warty; apex toothed, with bristled margin, bristles 0.05-0.1 cm long. Inflorescences terminal, one-flowered, nodding, when young enveloped by a spathe. Spathe broadly ovate, acute, apiculate, sparsely punctate, 5-nerved, 0.84-0.95 cm long, 0.55-0.65 cm wide; floral bract thin, transparent, broadly ovate, obtuse, 5-nerved, 0.8-1.1 cm long, 0.51-0.65 cm wide. Flower upright, glabrous, sepal and petal reflexed, strongly convex. Median sepal lanceolate, 5-nerved, 0.65-1.25 cm long, 0.22-0.80 cm wide; apex acute, conical-apiculate. Lateral sepal linear-lanceolate, 5-nerved, 0.46-1.25 cm long, 0.11-0.33 cm wide; apex subulate-apiculate, recurved; base obliquely dilated, shortly connate. Petal linear-lanceolate, 3-nerved, 0.55-1.1 cm long, 0.15-0.23 cm wide; apex acute. Lip transversely rhombic, carnose, indistinctly 3-lobed, concave, 7-nerved, 0.22-0.4 cm long, 0.2-0.53 cm wide; epichile midlobe broadly triangular, porrect, apex obtuse, with brown glands, thickened; lateral lobes erect, appressed to the column, rounded; hypochile spurred; spur subsigmoid, sub-cylindrical, in front below the apex inflated, dorsally flattened, broadly grooved toward the apex, obtuse, 0.55-1.44 cm long. Column glabrous, without column foot, 0.2 cm long; apex broadly retuse; clinandrium triangular, irregularly toothed; stelidia short, tooth-like; rostellum semiorbicular, bidentate, surpassing the stelidia; stigma  obliquely funnel-shaped, lower margin elongated, recurved. Anther ca. 2 mm long; pollinia pear-shaped, 1 mm in diameter; viscidium not seen. Ovary subsigmoid, 6-ribbed, glabrous, 0.5-1.55 cm long. Capsule not seen.

Distribution - Papua New Guinea.

Habitat and Ecology – Terrestrial in montane forest of Mt. Goliath, Mt. Wilhelm, Mt. Kajan, Mt. Doorman, Mt. Wichman.  Altitude 3000-3323 m. Flowering June-July in the wild.

Notes - 1. Flowers reddish brown to orange, lip with black margins, sweet scented.

3. The epithet fruticula (which means fruitlet in Latin) probably refers to the fruit-like appearance of the flowers.

4. Specimen observed L0426003, L0426004, L0426005, L0426006, L0597804. 

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