Phalaenopsis sumatrana
Korthals & Reichenbach f.
Hamburger Garten-Blumenzeitung, 16: 115 (1860), nom. cons.
Type: Sumatra, without precise locality. Coll. Korthals Icon., no. 443 (K).
Distribution: Widespread from Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam to Indonesia
(Java, Sumatra, Mentawai, Simeulue & Boreno), Malysia (Perak, Johore & Sabah)
and the Philippines (Palawan).
Burma. Bhamo. Coll. unknown s.n. (W). Thailand. Kaokalakiro.
Coll. Kerr 552 (C, K). Malay Peninsula. Malacca. Cult. Low 8 (W),
15! (W). Lawas River. Coll. Burmann S.N. (W). Sumatra. Korthals Icon.
no. 443 (K, L); Coll. Praetorius s.n. (L). Mentawei Island. Spiora. Coll.
Kloss 14773 ex lit. Borneo. Coll. Boxall s.n. (W). Origin Unknown.
Cult. Veitch s.n. (BM, W); Cult. Day s.n. (K, W).
Etymology: Named for the Indonesian island of Sumatra, were the species was originally collected in 1839.
Homotypic Synonym: Polychilos sumatrana, (Rchb.) Shim • Malayan Nat. Journ., 36: 26 (1982).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Phalaenopsis zebrina Witte • Ann. Hort. Bot., 4: 145 (1860), typ. cons.
Phalaenopsis zebrina Teijs. & Binn. • Natuurk. Tijdschr. Nederl. Indie, 24: 319 (1862).
Phalaenopsis sumatrana var. paucivittata Rchb.f. • Gard. Chron. n.s., 17: 628 (1882).
Phalaenopsis sumatrana f. paucivittata (Rchb.f) O.Gruss & M.Wolff. • Orchid. Atlas, 333 (2007).
Type: Sumatra, Prov. Palembang, Gersen s.n. (holotype: BO). Type illustration reproduced in Sweet (1968: 1093 & 1980: 100).
Phalaenopsis acutifolia Linden • Lindenia, 2: 11 (1886), nom. nud.
Phalaenopsis sumatrana subvar. paucivittata (Rchb.f.) A.H. Kent • H.J. Veitch’s Man. Orchid. Pl., 7: 40 (1891).
Phalaenopsis corningiana var. flava Fowlie • Orchid Digest, 46: 140 (1982).
Phalaenopsis paucivittata (Rchb.f.) Fowlie • Orchid Digest, 49: 51 (1985).
Type: Origin unknown. Hort. Veitch s.n. (holotype: W) Original watercolor of the holotype reproduced, Sweet (1968: 1096).
Subgenus: Polychilos - Section: Fuscatae
Varieties: These vary mainly in flower color and size.
Z
Description: A robust, warm to hot growing, hanging epiphyte found in low elevation, mixed wet scrub
to shady river banks usually on tree trunks rather than on branches.
The plant has numerous, flexuous, glabrous roots and a short, stout stem, completely subtended by persistent,
overlapping leaf bases. Leaves rather thin, elliptic-obovate, tapered to the conduplicate base, rounded to sharply
pointed, to 32 x 11 cm. The few-flowered infloresences are hanging to slightly arching racemes or panicles, to
30 cm long, the floral bracts triangular, acute, concave, to 6 mm long. Flowers, up to 5 cm across, ar well-spaced, fleshy-rigid,
mildly fragrant, extremely variable in color from white to green to wine red, with few to numerous transverse red-brown bars
or with barring absent. The base of the sepals and petals are without markings. The dorsal sepal is oblong-elliptic, cuneate,
acute-carinate, usually outwardly curved, to 24 x 15 mm, the lateral sepals are obliquely elliptic, to 28 x 15 mm. Slightly
8
Phalaenopsis | Second Quarter | Volume 24 | 2014