Bulbophyllum medusae

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 cluster of about fiften 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 of flowers the appearance of Medusa.[2]

Medusa orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Dendrobieae
Genus: Bulbophyllum
Species:
B. medusae
Binomial name
Bulbophyllum medusae
Synonyms[1]
  • Cirrhopetalum medusae Lindl.
  • Phyllorkis medusae (Lindl.) Kuntze
  • Cirrhopetalum medusae var. album Rolfe

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
  1. "Bulbophyllum medusae". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. "Bulbophyllum medusae". Singapore Government National Parks Board. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  3. "Cirrhopetalum medusae". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  4. Lindley, John (1842). "Cirrhopetalum medusae". Edwards's Botanical Register. 28: 12. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
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