Bulbophyllum medusae
Encyclopedia
The Medusa's Bulbophyllum (Bulbophyllum medusae) is a species of orchid.
This orchid is named after Gorgon Medusa
of Greek mythology since the long lateral sepals
of its flowers are rather like the snakes that formed Medusa's hair. It is an epiphytic orchid from the Malay Peninsula, Thailand
and Borneo
. It has stiff dark green leaves about 10 cm long. A single leaf emerges from each of the walnut-sized pseudobulb
s. It blooms in the fall or early winter. It is a creeping orchid and it can spread to cover the pot or slab it is living on. Plants may have many clusters of flowers—each cluster contains 30-100 tiny flowers each with long slender sepals. The sepals may be as long as 15 cm. In the wild it grows hanging from trees and rocks so the flower spikes
may emerge from the base of each pseudobulb. Hence, an open basket is best. It has a strong fragrance that some find agreeable and others find disagreeable.
First mentioned in Annales Botanices Systematicae in 1864.
This orchid is named after Gorgon Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
of Greek mythology since the long lateral sepals
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
of its flowers are rather like the snakes that formed Medusa's hair. It is an epiphytic orchid from the Malay Peninsula, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. It has stiff dark green leaves about 10 cm long. A single leaf emerges from each of the walnut-sized pseudobulb
Pseudobulb
The pseudobulb is a storage organ derived from the part of a stem between two leaf nodes.It applies to the orchid family , specifically certain groups of epiphytic orchids, and may be single or composed of several internodes with evergreen or deciduous leaves along its length.In some species, it is...
s. It blooms in the fall or early winter. It is a creeping orchid and it can spread to cover the pot or slab it is living on. Plants may have many clusters of flowers—each cluster contains 30-100 tiny flowers each with long slender sepals. The sepals may be as long as 15 cm. In the wild it grows hanging from trees and rocks so the flower spikes
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
may emerge from the base of each pseudobulb. Hence, an open basket is best. It has a strong fragrance that some find agreeable and others find disagreeable.
First mentioned in Annales Botanices Systematicae in 1864.