Bulbophyllum beccarii
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Bulbophyllum beccarii |
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Bulbophyllum beccarii Rchb.f. |
Bulbophyllum beccarii is one of the most spectacular and remarkable members of the whole Bulbophyllum genus and indeed the Orchidaceae.[citation needed] It is by far the largest species in the genus and one of the largest in the family. The thick rhizome, reportedly up to 20cm in diameter (but the thickest reliably reported has been five cm.) snakes its way around tree trunks climbing up into the light. Along its length at intervals are the relatively small egg shaped pseudobulbs each with a huge thick, leathery leaf at their apex. They are up to 60cm long and 20cm wide, yellowish-green and point vertically.The huge bowl shaped leaves are designed to catch falling debris and turn it into fertilizers. The inflorescence is produced from the rhizome near one of the pseudobulbs and hangs downwards to about 20-22cm and is composed of hundreds of small yellowish flowers netted with red that have an extremely disagreeable smell to attract various flies. It grows in the rainforests of Borneo.