Rare Indonesian Beauty Declared New Orchid Species

Anita Rachman Jakarta Globe 11 Sep 09;

An Indonesian beauty from deep in the wilds of Papua was formally recognized this week when an international scientific journal affirmed it as a new orchid species.

The unusual, bright yellow flower with rust-colored spots was first identified in 2008 by Destario Meusala, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ Purwodadi Botanical Gardens in East Java.

“There is no a description that perfectly describes this species, it’s very unique,” Destario said.

He has named the orchid Dipodium brevilabium D.Metusala & P.O’Byrne, after himself and collaborator Peter O’Byrne, who was part of the long research and journal-writing process.

“It took eight months of research before we were sure that it was really a new species.”

He said that he finished the research in October last year and then submitted his discovery to the Orchid Review journal, published by the Royal Horticultural Society in England, which describes itself as “the oldest and most influential orchid magazine in the world.”

The journal only this month published his article and officially approved the orchid as a new find.

Destario said a single plant of this kind could produce up to 35 flowers that bloom for 10 to 15 days. The orchid can reach a height of more than one meter and grows by attaching itself to large tree trunks. The orchid flower itself grows to between 27 and 40 centimeters in size.

The Dipodium genus has around 25 species spread over Malaysia, Australia and the islands of the West Pacific.

“The flower organ, the shape of flower bud, size and shape of the flower petals — those organs distinguish our orchid from others of the same genus,” Destario said.

He said he believed the Dipodium brevilabium only had a small population in Papua. He said he had not been able to find an orchid with the same characteristics on any other island in the country, “and our taxonomist colleagues in Papua New Guinea have never announced anything like this. So I guess it’s special.”

However, Destario refused to name the exact site where the orchid was found. He said it was important to keep the site secret because there were many hobbyists in the world who would want to get their hands on the orchid, adding that his institute wanted to take all necessary steps to conserve the flower.

Many experts believe that there are numerous new orchid species waiting to be discovered in the country.