Dendrobium Sw.
II. Dendrobium section Fytchianthe Schlechter 1912
Features:
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Stems clustered, cane-like, fleshy, leafy throughout, not branching, with limited apical growth.
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Leaves with a tubular sheath at base, short-lived.
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Inflorescences elongate, erect or patent, few- to many flowered, arising from upper part of leafless stems.
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Flowers with petals broader than sepals; mentum well-developed, narrowly conical or spur-like.
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Labellum adnate to column foot, trilobed, the midlobe much larger than lateral lobes, with a pubescent area at base of midlobe
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This section is represented by two species at Sindhudurg district
Dendrobium barbatulum Lindl.
In Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 84 (1830);
Callista barbatula (Lindl.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 654 (1891)
Ecology This species is endemic to western ghats; This is very common orchid in ever green forest; epiphytic on a number of different species of Terminalia, Syzygium, Mangifera indica, Bombax ceiba, Tectona grandis, Ixora brachiata, Catunaregam spinosa, Memeceylon umbellatum, Sapium insigne, Diospyros sp. Heterophragma quadriloculare, Carissa congesta, Hymenodictyon sp., etc.
I have observed this orchid at everywhere in Amboli on margin of forest & on road side trees in sunny places Acacia auriculiformis being unusual host
Pseudobulbs 1.5-5cm long, leafless at the time of flowering, one to several-noded, tapering at the apex; nodes 1.5-2.5 cm long, purplish brown, about 0.5-1 cm thick with longitudinal whitish striations.
Leaves 4.5-13 x 1.5-3.5 cm, alternate, distichous, sheathing at the base, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, acute, entire.
Inflorescence terminal or lateral; racemes 1-35 flowered, up to 25 cm in length, erect; peduncles 1.5 to 8cm long, pale greenish brown, slender, about I mm in diameter, sheathed with pale brown membranous sheaths at the base.
Flowers 2.5-4x 2.5-4.5.cm, pedicellate, pure white, to white deeply flushed with pink, lilac. Pedicel with ovary 1.8 cm long, pale yellowish, somewhat pink flushed
Bracts 3 X 1.5 mm, broadly ovate, subacuminate, pale brown,scarious, 3-5-nerved.
Sepals and Petals white, or white flushed ed with pink-lilac,. spreading, somewhat recurved, acute, entire;
Sepals dorsal sepal 1.5-2.6 x 0.3-0.6 cm oblong-Ianceolate to ovate-Ianceolate, 3to 5 nerved; lateral ones 1.7-2.7 x 0.4-0.6 cm, oblong-Ianceolate, 3-5 nerved prolonged downwards at the base to form the mentum;
Mentum 0.8.1x 0.5 cm, broadly conical, obtuse, pale yellow, straight or slighthtly incurved.
Petals 1.6-2.7 x 0.6-1.3 cm, obovate-Ianceolate to oblanceolate, acute, tapering to the base, entire, 3-nerved.
Labellum 2.5cm, long,3-lobed ; lateral lobes 7-14 x 2.5-4 mm, more or less connivent upwards to enclose the column in a somewhat cylindrical, 9-15 mm long tube-like structure, obliquely ovate-oblong, subacute, pale creamy yellow, rarely tinged with green to deep pink flushed with mauve, with red brown veins on the inside; midlobe 1.3-2 x 0.8-1.7 cm, white, or white flushed with pink-lilac with several deeper-coloured veins, broadly ovate or ovate-oblong or subflabellate, acute, mucronulate or rounded obtuse, entire. Disc on the lip creamy, grooved, obtuse or subemarginate, with yellow hairs at its base and apex.
Column 3 x 2 mm, stout, short, lateral arms shortly toothed; clinandrium prolonged into a small outgrowth from the back wall; foot 6-8 X 3-4 mm, obovate, broadly hollowed with a small, 3-4 mm long, pouch-like nectary.
Anther1.5 x 1.5mm, ovate-oblong, pale yellow; pollinia 2 pairs, waxy, yellowish green, linear. Stigmatic surface broadly obovate-orbicular, creamy white.
Capsules 2.2 X 1.2 cm, elliptic, pedicels 11 mm long, somewhat curved, subclavate and with a broad beak 5 mm long; capsule greenish purple with 3 broad and 3 narrow bands.
Leaves: June to October.
Flowering: February
Fruiting: March to July.