Bulbophyllum medusae, commonly known as the Medusa orchid, is a species of epiphytic orchid with a creeping rhizome and a single leaf about 100 mm (3.9 in) long emerging from the top of each pseudobulb. The flowers are creamy yellow and arranged in clusters of about fifteen arranged in a circle at the tip of the flowering stem. The flowers have an unpleasant odour. The flowers have thread-like lateral sepals about 120 mm (4.7 in) long, giving each cluster the appearance of Medusa.[2]
| Medusa orchid | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Genus: | Bulbophyllum |
| Species: | B. medusae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bulbophyllum medusae | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
The Medusa orchid was first formally described in 1861 by John Lindley who gave it the name Cirrhopetalum medusae and published the description in Edwards's Botanical Register.[3][4] In 1861, Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach changed the name to Bulbophyllum medusae.[1]
Bulbophyllum medusae grows on the trunk and main branches of trees in forest at altitudes up to 400 m (1,300 ft) in Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, the Lesser Sunda Islands and Sumatra.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Bulbophyllum medusae". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ a b "Bulbophyllum medusae". Singapore Government National Parks Board. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ "Cirrhopetalum medusae". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ Lindley, John (1842). "Cirrhopetalum medusae". Edwards's Botanical Register. 28: 12. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
External links edit
Media related to Bulbophyllum medusae at Wikimedia Commons
