Jumellea brevifolia H.Perrier, Notul. Syst. (Paris) 8: 44 (1939).
Description:
Plants robust 25-35 cm tall, stems rigid, slightly compressed. 8-10 mm wide, few branched, internodes short (7-10 mm). Leaves distichous, numerous, rigid and coriaceous, sheaths slightly striate lengthwise and finely traversely rugose, limbus short (3-4 x 1.2-1.3 cm), embracing the stem basally, heavily bilobed-rounded apically. Inflorescences single flowered, bearing sheaths, longer than the leaves, peduncle short (10-12 mm) bearing near the base 2-3 scarious vaginals, which are covered completely by the sheaths; bracts thin, scarious, very loose, 7-8 mm long, equaling about a sixth of the length of the pedicel. Median sepal (18 x 4 mm basally), attenuate from the thin bane to the mossy looking apex, concave, compressed-gutter shaped, thick and without visible veins above the base: lateral sepals thicker, but flat, slightly contoured sickle shaped and (20-23 x 3-3.5 mm) long. Petals narrow (18 x 1.5 mm), equally opaque. Labellum 22 mm long, gutter shaped, narrow in the lower half, then enlarged in a wide (7-8 mm basally) triangular-acute lamina; with a single projecting keel, 4 mm long in the gutter of the lower half 7 veined, veins slightly visible in the lamina of the apical portion: spur filiform, 11cm long. Column 3 mm tall, wide: auricies squared (2 x 2 mm), slightly dilate on the front edge: median tooth blackish, slightly recurved in front. equal to nearly half the length of the auricies (0.7 mm). Anther saddle shaped 2 mm wide, widely notched in front, provided with a slightly projecting lignous connective appendage, with the tip in the form of a small apicule in the notch.
Habitat:
Lithophyte; in slightly shady situations from 1500-1650 m alt.: flowering in November.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus.
Distribution:
SE. Madagascar
References:
WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 14.02-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
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