Bulbophyllum vulcanorum H.Perrier

"Bulbophyllum vulcanorum H.PerrierA rare orchid species belonging to the genus Bulbopedilum from central Java in Indonesia. The lithophytic plant is leafless with thick, light greyish green roots speckled deep marron red, growing at altitudes above 2000 m"

Bulbophyllum vulcanorum H.Perrier, Notul. Syst. (Paris) 7: 140 (1938).

Bulbophyllum vulcanorum H.Perrier, Photo by Alejandro Capriles

Family:

Orchidaceae.

Synonym Name: 

No synonyms are recorded for this name.

English Name:

The Volcano Living Bulbophyllum

Description: 

The plant bears a single molten gold-coloured flower heavily striated in deep lava red, with a prominent golden staminode heavily marked in dark mahogany red, and a pouch-shaped labellum in rich golden yellow internally, deep lava-red colour externally heavily veined in black maroon. The flower measures twelve to fifteen centimetres across, produced on a slender, heavily hirsute, deep lava-red stem up to 30 cm. long; the thick, coriaceous blossom lasts five to six weeks, with a pungent, unpleasant earthy fragrance not unlike sulphur. It is endemic to Mount Merapi. The seeds have an impenetrable shell that needs exceedingly high-temperatures to break it down, an evolutionary adaptation to its extreme habitat. Once the external shell is broken, the seeds germinate as the fresh lava cools down and hardens, and the plants develop very rapidly, maturing and blooming in less than a year. To date, the pollinator of this species remains unknown. It is named in honour of Vulcan, the Ancient Roman God of Fire, alluding to its volcanic ecosystem.

Distribution:

Madagascar

Ecological:

In humid evergreen forests at elevations around 1100 m.

Flowering times:

Blooms in the spring.

Flower size:

7.0 cm

Cultivation:

Type:

Ref:

orchidspecies.com

ipni.org

powo.science.kew.org