Malaxis tetraloba (Schltr.) Kores 1989

Flower closeup Photo by © Art Vogel

Common Name The Four Lobed Malaxis

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Fiji and Samoa in rain and cloud forests at elevations of 380 to 700 meters as a miniature to small sized, hot growing terretrial with a short, fleshy rhizome with clustered, basally conical stems carrying 3 to 5, dense, gradually narrowing into the slender petiollate base leaves that blooms on an erect, terete, 4.8 to 10" [12 to 25 cm] long, densely many flowered inflorescence

The flower in the photos was encountered on the island of Borneo where I can find no previous collections. I have no drawings or photos in my references and so cannot be sure of this ones identity, please use with caution.

Synonyms Crepidium radicicola (Rolfe) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones 1996; Crepidium tetralobum (Schltr.) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones 1996; Malaxis radicicola (Rolfe) L.O.Williams 1938; Microstylis radicicola Rolfe 1921; *Microstylis tetraloba Schltr. 1910

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Samoa Cribb & Whistler 1996

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