Thrixspermum rimiae P.O'Byrne & Ent 2016 SECTION Thrixspermum

TYPE Drawing by © Peter O'Byrne

LATE EARLY

Common Name Rimi's Thrixspermum [Sabahan botanist and Assit Director of Sabah Parks current]

Flower Size 1.04" [2.6 cm]

Found in Sabah Borneo in upper montane scrublands at elevations around 2500 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial among grasses and low shrubs in deep mosses with erect, leafy stems enveloped by loose towards the apex, cylindrical, very thick, rugose, sulcate when dry, reddish purple to maroon, persistent, longer than the internodes sheaths and carrying distichous, stiffly suberect, very thick and leathery, narrowly elliptic, tapering at both ends, canaliculate, green usually heavily suffused with maroon, narrowly rounded apcailyoften notched leaves that blooms in the late winter and early spring on s stiffly suberect, arising from the nodes of mid stem, peduncle 5.2 to 8" [13 to 20 cm]long, wiry, cylindrical, provided with 3 to 4 basal, and another 3 to 4 midway bracts rachis compressed, to 4" [10 cm] or more, reddish purple to maroon, successively single, several flowered inflorescence with compressed, broad-oblong to broad elliptic, rounded to obtuse apically, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying ephemeral, rather fleshy flowers.

Florally similar to T simum but T rimiae is unique in the genus with its erect, long stems with distant, narrow, succulent leaves and the flowers differs in the callus of the lip not extending to the apex of the sac.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Malesian Orchid Journal Vol 18 2016 drawing photo fide;

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