Dendrobium clementsii
Dendrobium clementsii, commonly known as the Cape York crimp orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid that is endemic to tropical North Queensland, Australia. It has long stems, tapering pseudobulbs each with a thin, leathery dark green leaf and clusters of short-lived, cream-coloured flowers with a purple labellum.
Description
Dendrobium clementsii is an epiphytic or lithophytic herb with aerial stems up to long. The pseudobulbs are dark green to yellowish and furrowed, decreasing in length and width along the stem from long and wide. Each pseudobulb has a single thin, leathery, dark green leaf long and wide on the end. Clusters of cream-coloured flowers, long and wide are arranged at the base of the leaves. The sepals are lance-shaped, long and wide and the petals are a similar length but only about wide. The labellum is purple, long, wide and has three lobes. The side lobes are about and have a short fringe. The middle lobe has spreading wavy, hairs about on its tip. Flowering occurs sporadically throughout the year and the flowers last less than a day.
Taxonomy and naming
The Cape York crimp orchid was first formally described in 2004 by David Jones who gave it the name Flickingeria clementsii, published in The Orchadian. In 2014, Julian Mark Hugh Shaw changed the name to Dendrobium clementsii.
The Cape York crimp orchid grows on rocks and trees in rainforest on the Iron and McIlwraith Ranges on the Cape York Peninsula.