Bulbophyllum sterile

Bulbophyllum sterile
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Epidendroideae
Genus:	Bulbophyllum
Species:	B. sterile
Binomial name
Bulbophyllum sterile (Lam.) Suresh

Common Name The Sterile Bulbophyllum

Flower Size

Found in the Nilgiri Hills of India at elevations of 1300 to 1700 meters as a small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with 2" [5 cm] between each ovate, irregularily angled, pseudobulb carrying a single, apical, erect, oblong-elliptic, obtuse, emarginate leaf that blooms in the winter and early spring on a pendent, 4" [10 cm] long, densely many flowered inflorescence

CAUTION! I am not sure of this determination! Does not match Seidenfaden 1959 - not lax enough inflorescence, but flowers are close.

In literature this species is often confused with B caudatum Section Umbellatae, for example does not match Pearce and Cribb 2002 as it is close to B caudatum, which is not even close to this species. Does match exactly to Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 4 1980. Pretty much exact match to the drawing in Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 and fide for Pradhan, Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 as B sterile NOT!!! photo fide for B caudatum;

Synonyms Bulbophyllum nilgherrense Wight 1851; *Epidendrum sterile Lam. 1783; Phyllorkis nilgherensis (Wight) Kuntze 1891

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing good; The Orchids of Thailand Seidenfaden & Smitinand 1959 drawing, photo hmm; Orchids of Bombay Satapau & Kapadia 1966 drawing fide; Indian Orchids Guide to Identification and Culture Pradhan 1979; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 4 1980 as Cirrhopetalum neilgherense photo fide; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb and Laurent 1981 as B neilgerrensephoto fide; The Orchids of Bhutan Pearce & Cribb 2002 refers to a relative of B vaginatum see caudatum; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007 as Cirrhopetalum neilgherrense; Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007 as B sterile; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 as B sterile photo not = B caudatum;

CITIES category : Appendix II

References 

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