Orchid Species: Sarcochilus beccarii

ORIGIN: Found in Irian Jaya to Papua and New Guinea, south to northern Queensland and east to the Solomon Islands as a small sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte on large trees in coastal forests, rainforests, semi-deciduous forests, on beaches and savannah trees that occurs from sea level to 1000 meters.

DESCRIPTION: Found in Irian Jaya to Papua and New Guinea, south to northern Queensland and east to the Solomon Islands as a small sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte on large trees in coastal forests, rainforests, semi-deciduous forests, on beaches and savannah trees that occurs from sea level to 1000 meters with a flat stem sheathed by old leaf bases carrying 3 to 8, oblong, tinged pink or mauve, oblong, rigid, coriaceous leaves and blooms on an axillary, erect then towards the apex pendulous inflorescence that arises from the base of the leaves of the plant and has upwards of sixty, simultaneously, wide opening, fragrant flowers that last a day. Many orchid references to this species are Sarcochilus moorei from which it was removed in 1989. There are varieties in inflorescence types regionally, such as in PNG the inflorescence is descending with resupinate flowers, in the north there are plants that have erect inflorescence with nonresupinate flowers. There are also regional differences in the leaf types with some being bilobed, and others not and varying degrees in between.

FLOWER SIZE: 3/8 to 1 inch [10 to 25 mm] -- information provided by Jay Pfahl, author of the Internet Orchid Species Encyclopedia (IOSPE).