''Bulbophyllum pandanetorum'' is a rare species of

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the family

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

. It is found in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

, where its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s at elevations roughly between 200 and 950 meters. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. It was botanically described in 1954. In September 1925, the first sample of ''B. pandanetorum'' were collected, twice, in Gabon. They were both found in the Ngounie River region; the first specimen was located near Kembélé, and the second, along the River Dévèla. Both were attached to ''

Pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names ...

'' trees, and so the botanist's choice of

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

. Since then, it has never been collected again from anywhere in that country, and in spite of meticulous, if sporadic botanical surveyance in many parts of the south and west of Cameroon, ''B. pandanetorum'' had never been among the plants collected in that country either. In June 1996, however, it was for the first time found outside of Gabon, growing on the submontane slopes of Mt. Kupe, in Cameroon. Here it must be supposed, it undergoes continuing decline due to habitat loss through the encroachment of farms, which are known to be spreading. The Gabonian habitat's course of endangerment to ''B. pandanetorum'', and its level of seriousness are yet to be determined.

References

pandanetorum Endangered plants Plants described in 1954 Orchids of Cameroon Orchids of Gabon Epiphytic orchids Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Bulbophyllum-stub