Schltr 1905

Pronunciation:

am-BLY-an-thus
Tribe: Epidendreae
Subtribe: Dendrobiinae

Section Amblyanthus was established by Schlechter in 1905 with species recorded from New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Schlechter expanded the Section to nine species from New Guinea in 1912. One species from Borneo has also been described, D. microglaphis Rchb.f. Amblyanthus is considered to be a poorly known section, but most closely related to Section Breviflores. Amblyanthus has a short or abbreviated inflorescence and has prominent dry, thin, membranous basal sheaths and floral bracts, which are characterized as having a "scale-like" external texture of the inflorescence. The species show very little variation within the section and are fairly uniform in their habit. Most of the species are found in montane, mist forests and grow down low on tree trunks in low to moderate elevations. The stems start out erect and become pendulous with length. The papery leaves appear in pairs mostly on the apical half of the stem. The flowers are lateral with 2 to 12 flowers on an inflorescence, depending on species. The fleshy flowers are generally slow in maturing and then last only a few days up to two weeks. Most flowers are yellowish-brown on the outside and may be covered in scales or short, black hairs on outside of sepals. Flowers are generally white on the inside with a yellow lip; they may have orange to red streaks in the lip. The lip is usually 3-lobed with a distinctive fleshy, flange-like basal appendage. Flowers range from approximately .5 to one inch across and some species have flowers which do not open well. Although this section is not popularly grown, the most commonly known are D. squamiferum, D. melanostictum, and D. microglaphys. Species in this section should be given regular watering all year long with slightly less water in the winter. Provide intermediate to warm conditions with medium to moderately bright light.

Number of species:

Approximately 12 - 14 species: D. melanostictum, D. kempterianum (possibly synonymous with D. squamiferum), D. bismarckiense, D. microglaphys, D. canthomeson, D. quadriferum, D. cavipes, D. squamiferum, D. furfuriferum, D. zippelii and D. gibiense.

Distribution:

Mostly New Guinea with two species from Borneo and Solomon Islands