Oberonia maxima 2024-02-27
Posted on February 27, 2024
Finding
SITF has determined this plant to be Oberonia ensiformis, Oberonia maxima (Jul 2024). Determination was made with the help of Dr. Daniel Geiger (internationally known authority on the Genus Oberonia) who identified this plant as Ob. ensiformis. In an article in the AOS "Orchids", May 2016 by Daniel Geiger, "Plants in the Trade". He stated that the name Oberonia maxima can be encountered in the hortcultural trade. Those plants turned out to be Oberonia ensiformis. The two species share medium size, narrow falcate leaves and densely packed fowers on the inforescence. However, the flowers have nothing in common, except for approximate size. The lip in Ob. maxima does not clasp the column, has an entire margin and lacks hairs or caruncles. Ob. ensiformis forms a shield surrounding the column, which is frilly along the margin and has pairs of caruncles below the column on each side of the mesochile. The remaining sepals and petals are more or less in the same plane as the lip in Ob. maxima, while they are reflexed against the pedicel in Ob. ensiformis. Dr. Geiger also noted the typical fan (of Ob. ensiformis), flowers with a large hirsute lip with two large auricles extending above column. Also Ob. ensiformis has pairs of warts on each side of the very narrow sac on lip just below column. Excellent photos of Ob. ensiformis can be seen in the orchidroots.com.
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