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Oberonia Lindl.

Sub family: Epidendroideae 
Tribe: Malaxideae
Derivation of name After Oberon king of fairy in hiding allusion to hidden flowers of some species
Salient Features: Epiphytic herb

  • Stem usually clustered rarely borne on elongated rhizome

  • Leaves iridiform & unifacial rarely terete often fleshy, articulated or not at the base, distichous often imbricate at the base

  • Inflorescence unbranched pubescent or glabrous, floral bracts persistent often erose

  • Flowers often in whorls. non resupinate, flat

  • Sepals & Petals free spreading sometimes erose

  • Labellum sessile entire or lobed, usually spreading occasionally concave at the base, lacking callus or spur

  • Column lacking foot & wings, anther terminal firmly attached to the column apex, bilocular, pollinia waxy, four cohering in equal size pair, viscidium absent or abbreviated, stigma transversally reniform or ovate, rostellum protruding; ovary glabrous or papillate 

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Oberonia brachystachys Lindl.

In Sert. Orchid.: t. 8 B (1838)

  • Iridorkis brachystachya (Lindl.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 669 (1891)

  • Malaxis brachystachys (Lindl.) in W.G.Walpers, Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 211 (1861)

  • Heterotypic Synonyms

  • Iridorkis demissa (Lindl.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 669 (1891)

  • Iridorkis gardneriana (Thwaites) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 669 (1891)

  • Iridorkis recurva (Lindl.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 669 (1891)

  • Malaxis demissa (Lindl.) Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers, Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 211 (1861)

  • Malaxis recurva (Lindl.) Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers, Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 212 (1861)

  • Malaxis setifera (Lindl.) Rchb.f. in W.G.Walpers, Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 210 (1861)

  • Oberonia brachyphylla Blatt. & McCann in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 35: 257 (1931)

  • Oberonia croftiana King & Pantl. in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta) 8: 7 (1898)

  • Oberonia demissa Lindl. in Fol. Orchid. 8: 4 (1859)

  • Oberonia gardneriana Thwaites in Enum. Pl. Zeyl.: 296 (1861)

  • Oberonia lingmalensis Blatt. & McCann in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 35: 255 (1931)

  • Oberonia myriantha var. parvula (King & Pantl.) Tang & F.T.Wang in Acta Phytotax. Sin. 1: 76 (1951)

  • Oberonia parvula King & Pantl. in J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 64: 330 (1895 publ. 1896)

  • Oberonia recurva Lindl. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 25(Misc.): 14 (1839)

  • Oberonia setifera Lindl. in Fol. Orchid. 8: 3 (1859)

Ecology: Epiphytes on Artocarpus heterophyllus, Bombax ceiba, Careya arborea, Catunaregam spinosa, Erythrina suberosa, Ficus arnottiana ,Holigarna grahamii, Mangifera indica, Memecylon umbellatum trees

 
Plants 2.7-8 cm tall.
Roots fasciculate. 
Stem short. 


Leaves 3 or 4, ensiform-lanceolate, 0.7-3 × 0.15-0.5 cm, overlapping at base, tapering to an acute apex, straight to weakly falcate.

 Inflorescence erect to decurved, densely many flowered; peduncle terete, stout, bracteate, 0.5-1.5 cm; peduncle bracts lanceolate, acute, ca. 1 mm; rachis terete, grooved, 3.5-6 cm.

Flowers 1 mm in diam., uniformly reddish brown; pedicel and ovary ca. 1 mm. 


Sepals similar, ovate-cordate, acute, spreading, 0.5-0.8 × 0.3-0.4 mm.


Petals oblong, 0.4-0.7 × 0.3-0.4 mm, margin weakly crenulate to entire, apex obtuse; 

Lip oblong, 0.6-1 × 0.5-0.8 mm, 3-lobed, base with a large depression; lateral lobes orbicular, margin erose-dentate; mid-lobe with 2 long, obtuse, orbicular, incurved lobules, separated by a deep, obtuse sinus. 

Column 0.1-0.2 mm tall. 

Flowering August    

Fruiting September onwards
(Reference: flora of China) 

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