Abdominea

Abdominea minimiflora

The orchid Abdominea minimiflora is the only species in the genus Abdominea. The small plants grow as epiphytes and are native to Southeast Asia.

Description

Abdominea minimiflora is monopodial, the shoot axis is strongly compressed. The roots are thick and surrounded by velamen. Full-grown plants have about four to six leaves; while form at the top new leaves die at the base of the shoot from the older ones. The oblong- oval leaves measure about four inches in length and one to 1.5 centimeters wide. The leaf base is wedge-shaped at the tip of the midrib is minimal retracted, this bilobed blade tip is slightly asymmetrical.

The racemose, about 15 centimeters long inflorescence appears laterally from the shoot and hang down. It contributes about 40 to 50 resupinierte flowers. They bloom in succession, always flowers are open simultaneously. The single bloom reached a diameter of about three millimeters and is greenish yellow. The bracts are very narrow, almost filiform. The sepals are lanceolate, slightly wider, bent the petals outward and with a reddish stain. The lip is three-lobed, the side lobes are very small. The middle lobe is shaped like a sack extended at the lower rear end in a short spur. The lip is the reason grown on an extension of the column, a so-called pedestal. The stamen contains four pollinia in two pairs of unequal size. The separation between scar tissue and stamen ( rostellum ) is large, colored red and tapering forward in a point.

Dissemination

Abdominea minimiflora is widespread in Southeast Asia from Thailand to Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra up to Java, Bali and the Philippines. They come in rainforests without pronounced dry season, at altitudes of about 300 to 1000 meters. The species grows there as an epiphyte on tree trunks.

Botanical history

Hooker described this plant as early as 1890 under the name Saccolabium minimiflora. Smith introduced in 1917 then to a separate genus Abdominea. The genus name Abdominea refers to the lip, which is to see the abdomen of an insect similar. The Artepithet Minimiflora means " small flowered ".

Several species have been described in the genus Abdominea from different parts of the large distribution area, but these are all viewed as synonymous to Abdominea minimiflora.