Tridactyle pentalobata P.J.Cribb & Stévart, Kew Bull. 59: 202 (2004).
Description:
Epiphytic herb; stem more than 30 cm long, 6 - 7 mm in diameter, pendulous. Leaves more than 6, imbricate, narrowly ovate-elliptic, twisted at base to lie in one plane, thin-textured, lower face keeled, 11.3 - 13.5 x 1.9 - 2.3 cm, unequally roundly bilobed, lobes 0 - 5 mm, articulate at the base to a sheathing leaf base. Inflorescence 3.4 - 5.3 cm, borne opposite the leaves, up to 11-flowered; rachis quadrangular to semi-terete, slightly papillose. Flowers distichous, green to yellow; pedicel and ovary 4 x 2 mm; bracts amplexicaul, enclosing the rachis and the pedicel, 2.5 x 2 mm. Dorsal sepal convex, oblong, apiculate, 4 x 2.2 mm, thickened, trinerved. Lateral sepals oblong, acute, 5.8 x 2.1 mm, trinerved, thickened on outer face, slightly united at the base. Petals 4 x 1.8 mm, narrowly oblong, acute, trinerved, margins erose, thickened on outer face. Lip oblong, trilobed in the upper part, 4 x 3.2 mm, with two distinct triangular auricles at mouth of the spur, 0.8 mm long; side lobes transversally oblong, very short, 0.5 x 1 mm; midlobe triangular, acute, I x 1 mm long, thickened downward; spur straight, distinctly inflated toward the apex, apex obtuse, 9 x 0.8 - 1 mm. Column 1 mm long.
Etymology:
This species is named after the shape of the lip, which appears five-lobed with the two distinct basal auricles and a trilobed apex
Habitat:
Primary forest; 465 m. Epiphyte at 25 m in the middle part of the canopy.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus.
Notes:
Tridactyle pentalobala is a distinctive species with a lip rather similar to that of Tridactyle tridentata, but it differs from that species in having dorsiventrally flattened leaves, longer inflorescences and a spur that is markedly inflated. It can be compared with Tridactyle gentilii (De Wild.) Schltr., but that has long lacerate side lobes to the lip and with Tridactyle truncatiloba Summerh. which possesses much larger flowers (Summerhayes 1948).
Distribution:
Gabon
References:
World Checklist of Monocotyledons. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.kew.org/wcsp/monocots/ accessed 21.03.2017
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.
