Bulbophyllum encephalodes Summerh., Bot. Mus. Leafl. 14: 228 (1951).
Description:
Roots 0.6-1.1 mm diam. Rhizome 2-3.5 mm diam., nodes not or hardly swollen. Rhizome scales tubular, tip about acute; membranous, the upper with nerves; keeled abaxially. Pseudobulbs 1-leafed, ovoid to ellipsoid, (1.5 -) 3-8 cm apart, 1.2-3.5 by 1-2.2 cm, slightly flattened, about sharply 4-angled. Petiole 4-6 mm long. Leaf blade lanceolate, 3-14.5 by 1.2-3.2 cm, tip rounded, emarginate, not or hardly oblique; coriaceous, thick; midrib hardly prominent abaxially. Inflorescence 13-43 cm long, 14-36-flowered. Peduncle about erect, slightly swollen towards the tip, 11-32 cm by 1.5-2 mm, orbicular in section, glabrous, with 4-11 scales. Peduncle scales tubular, the longest 10-15 mm long; tip obtuse to acute; membranous, with some nerves; keeled towards the tip and glabrous abaxially. Rhachis nodding, slightly swollen and flattened, 4-angled in section, with two concave sides from which the flowers arise, either zig-zag bent or not, 2-11 cm by 2-3.5 mm, edges sharp, straight, entire to irregularly dentate, glabrous; surface glabrous. Floral bracts about spreading, concave, ovate to triangular, 3-5 by 2.6-4 mm, tip acuminate; base broadly attached; membranous, without nerves; keeled and glabrous abaxially. Flowers distichous, 4-6 mm apart, measured along one side of the rhachis, recurved, many open simultaneous-ly, not fully open. Pedicel and ovary 1.7-3 mm long, glabrous. Median sepal not recurved, ovate(-oblong), 4-6 by 2-2.9 mm, tip acuminate; margins entire, glabrous; base (rather) broadly attached; rather thick; glabrous; not keeled abaxially. Lateral sepals free, either slightly recurved or not, hardly falcate, ovate to ovate-oblong or narrowly triangular, oblique, 4-6 by 2.2-3 mm, base broadly attached; otherwise as the median sepal. Petals not recurved, not or hardly falcate, oblong to linear-lanceolate, oblique, 2.2-3 by 0.6-1 mm, tip acute; margins entire, glabrous; base broadly attached; rather thin; glabrous; not keeled abaxially. Lip not recurved, ovate to broadly ovate-oblong in outline (not spread), (1.5 -) 2.2-3 by (0.6 -) 1.4-1.8 mm, tip irregularly warty; edges entire, glabrous; thick; adaxially with two rather weak, rounded, slightly irregular ridges which are most prominent about half-way the lip, which diverge slightly towards the base and which develop into a number of rather large, irregularly shaped warts towards the tip of the lip, with a slightly concave basal part, without a median ridge, surface glabrous; abaxially with a distinct, lumplike, broadly rounded ridge near the base abruptly ending in a large, convex lump with a brainlike surface half-way, slightly concave and slightly warty towards the tip, surface glabrous. Column from the base of the free part up to the tip of the stelidia 1.5-2 mm long, with rather distinct, triangular, not falcate, subacute stelidia of 0.2-0.3 mm long; column usually without teeth along the adaxial margins (see note below), stigma without a basal callus. Anther c. 0.8 by 0.7 mm; front not drawn out; front margin about truncate, entire, glabrous; basally distinctly emarginate; abaxially with a thick, not concave, retuse, colliculate protrusion towards the top of the anther which distinctly overtops the front margin, and a rather weak, rounded ridge about half-way the anther; surface almost entirely colliculate. Pollinia 4, ellipsoid; the small ones about half as long as the large ones, distinctly flattened; the large ones flattened; a stipes has not been observed. Fruit ellipsoid, up to 0.9 by 0.5 cm, without a stalk.
Colours:
Rhizome and rhizome scales reddish brown. Leaves dark green. Rhachis reddish brown. Sepals greenish, suffused, spotted or striated with purple or entirely purple. Petals pale greenish or purple. Lip very dark purple or white with purple markings.
Habitat:
Montane forest, occasionally in Brachystegia woodland up to 1500 m alt. Also in plantations. Epiphytic, often on the bare bark of tree trunks (La Croix, written comm.).
Cultivation:
It can be cultivated on large slabs of cork or cedar in intermediate conditions that are only moderately moist and with shade during the brightest part of the day. Slabs are preferred because the distance between pseudobulbs would make it difficult to restrain this plant in pots.
Distribution:
Nigeria to Kenya and S. Trop. Africa
References:
Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977; Malawi Orchids La Croix 1983; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984; Orchid Monographs Vol. 2 - A Taxonomic Revision of the Continental African Bulbophyllinae Vermeullen 1987; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995; Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997; Bulbophyllum and Their Allies Siegerist 2001; Orchidaceae Of West Central Africa Vol. 2 Szlachetko, Ejsmont, Baranow, Grochocka, Nowak, Margonska and Naczk 2015
Images:
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In culture In culture In culture
bulbophyllum encephalodes 01 bulbophyllum encephalodes 02 bulbophyllum encephalodes 03
Photograph© Lourens
Grobler. Image used
with kind permission.
Photograph© Lourens
Grobler. Image used
with kind permission.
Photograph© Lourens
Grobler. Image used
with kind permission.