Jumellea alionae P.J.Cribb, Orchid Rev. 117: 26 (2009).
Description:
A large clump-forming lithophyte or epiphyte. Stems branching at or near base, pendent or semi-pendent, 50-100 cm tall, leafy in upper third or quarter, covered by leaf bases below; leaf bases laterally compressed, abscission point acute. Leaves distichous, conduplicate or twisted above abscission point to lie in one plane, narrowly oblong-ligulate, slightly unequally roundly bilobed at apex, 9-10.5 x 1.7-1.9 cm, dark glossy green; sheathing base 1.8-2.5 cm long below abscission mark. Inflorescences lateral, axillary, produced one per node from upper nodes of stem in leaf axils; peduncle 2.5-3-5cm long; bract conduplicate, oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, acute, 1.2-1.7cm long. Flowers large, pure white, the spur pale green in the upper part, strongly sweetly fragrant; pedicel and ovary sinuous, 5-6cm long. Dorsal sepal curved forwards at base over column, then curved upwards or recurved, lanceolate, acute, 3-3.2 x 0.6cm, slightly undulate-frilled on basal margins. Lateral sepals strongly recurved and almost touching at the tips, somewhat obliquely lanceolate, acute or acuminate, 3.4—3.7 x 0.6 cm, undulate-frilled on basal margins. Petals lanceolate, acuminate, 3.2—3-5 x 0.5-0.6 cm, undulate-frilled on basal margins. Lip shortly clawed, hastate, acute, 3.2-3.3 x 1-1.4 cm; callus a linear raised ridge in basal quarter of the lip; spur curved and parallel to column in basal part then pendent, 8.5-9 cm long. Column short, 5 mm long; rostellar arms hatchet-shaped.
Etymology:
Jumellea alionae is named after Aliona Gavrilova, who, together with her partner Roustam Tariko, has generously supported conservation work by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Parc Tzimbazaza in their Threatened Plants Programme in Madagascar.
Habitat and ecology:
In evergreen forest with a low, open canopy on ridge-top, on low trees and on exposed mossy boulders near streams; 500-1,000m.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus.
Notes:
This very distinctive and beautiful species is one of the few large-flowered species with a long spur that forms large clumps. It branches near the base and produces stems that have well-spaced, oblong-ligulate, 9-10.5cm long leaves in the apical part. The flowers are produced singly from the leaf axils. It is similar to Jumellea arborescens H. Perr . Jumellea confusa (Schltr.) Schltr., and Jumellea comorensis (Rchb.f.) Schltr. but the leaves are broader, the flowers very strongly fragrant, the lip is markedly different with a narrow claw with the apical two-thirds abruptly dilated into a sagittate or hastate limb, and the 8.5-9cm long spur is shorter than in the other species (9-15 cm long).
The conservation status of this orchid is insufficiently known (data deficient). It has, so far, been collected only twice from the Andohahela Reserve in southeast Madagascar, an area where the forest is reasonably well protected.
Distribution:
Known only from the Andohahela Reserve in southeast Madagascar.
References:
WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 14.02-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
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