''Bulbophyllum lilianae'', commonly known as the warty strand orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid that is endemic to tropical North Queensland. It has widely spaced, deeply grooved, dark green to yellowish pseudobulbs, thin but tough, dark green to yellowish leaves and up to three cream-coloured, pale green or reddish flowers with dark red stripes and a pink labellum. It grows on shrubs, trees and rocks, often in exposed situations.

Description

''Bulbophyllum lilianae'' is an epiphytic or lithophytic

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with well spaced, deeply grooved, dark green to yellowish pseudobulbs long and wide. There is a single egg-shaped to oblong, thin but tough leaf long and wide on the end of the pseudobulb. Up to three bell-shaped, cream-coloured, pale green or reddish flowers with dark red stripes, long and wide are arranged a thread-like flowering stem long. The dorsal sepals is egg-shaped to oblong, long and wide. The lateral sepals are egg-shaped and curved, long and wide and the

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are oblong to egg-shaped, long and wide. The labellum is pink, egg-shaped, thick and fleshy, about long and wide. Flowering occurs between July and September.

Taxonomy and naming

''Bulbophyllum lilianae'' was first formally described in 1917 by

Alfred Barton Rendle Alfred Barton Rendle FRS (19 January 1865 – 11 January 1938) was an English botanist. Rendle was born in Lewisham to John Samuel and Jane Wilson Rendle. He was educated in Lewisham where he first became interested in plants, St Olave's Gra ...

and the description was published in the '' Journal of Botany, British and Foreign'' from a specimen collected near the summit of

Mount Bellenden Ker Mount Bellenden Ker is the second-highest mountain in Queensland, Australia, with a height of . It is named after the botanist John Bellenden Ker Gawler. Located south of Cairns near Babinda, it is adjacent to Mount Bartle Frere, the state's ...

Distribution and habitat

The warty strand orchid grows on shrubs, trees and rocks, often in situations where it is exposed to full sun and wind or mist and fog. It occurs between the

Cedar Bay National Park Ngalba Bulal is a national park in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. In 2015, Cedar Bay National Park became the Mangkalba (Cedar Bay) section of the Ngalba Bulal National Park. Geography The park is northwest of Brisbane, south o ...

, the Evelyn Tableland and Paluma Range National Park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulbophyllum Lilianae lilianae Orchids of Queensland Endemic orchids of Australia Plants described in 1917