The Genus Oxystophyllum
Sometimes we see a plant and really wonder if it is an orchid. There are a number of orchid genera, Aporodes, Aporum, and Oxystophyllum, in which the plants are most unlike those of typical orchids, because of the flattened stems and triangular to acutely pointed, laterally flattened leaves.
The first author, Jim Cootes, remembers one occasion when he was in the beautiful forest of a mountain in the province of Nueva Ecija on Luzon, with a number of companions and guides. As they were climbing toward the more untouched areas on the mountain, they came across a fallen tree, which appeared to have been there for some considerable amount of time. The log was close to a meter in diameter and several meters long, and it was covered in the largest plant of any Oxystophyllum species we have ever seen. A close
examination of the plant found a couple of flowers, and it proved to be the delightful Oxystophyllum cultratum.
Dr. Carl Blume established this genus in 1825, in his Bijdragen tot de
Flora van Nederlandsch Indie. The generic name refers to the sharply pointed foliage of the species. At different times, this genus has been considered as a section of the large genus Dendrobium. Studies made by Dr. Mark Clements at the Australian National Herbarium, in Canberra, Australia, have reached the conclusion that these Oxystophyllum species can stand in their own right, as members of a good genus. Oxystophyllum species have flattened stems, bearing laterally flattened leaves that are sharply pointed. Inflorescences are usually single flowered, and can appear from the leaf axils or be terminal. Blooms are small, the
labellum is thickened and without side lobes. Plants appear to start out their lives as semi-pendulous growers but as the clumps develop the stems will also grow upright too.
Oxystophyllum carnosum is a widely spread species that is recorded from Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, throughout Indonesia, and Borneo. In the Philippines it is only known from the island of Palawan, where it grows along the edges of rivers, or creeks, in bright light. The specific epithet refers to the fleshy colored sepals and petals.
Oxystophyllum cultratum is another widely spread species and it has been found in Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sulawesi, and Papua New Guinea. In the Philippines, it is widely distributed and is known from the provinces of Apayao, Bataan, Ifugao, Kalinga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Rizal on Luzon; the Visayan islands of Negros, Panay, and Samar; and the provinces of Agusan, Bukidnon, Surigao, and Zamboanga on Mindanao. Plants are usually found at elevations of about 1,000 meters. The flowers of this species are a deep claret red, appearing to be almost black. Oxystophyllum elmeri is endemic to the Philippines where it distribution is quite scattered. It has been found in the provinces of Cagayan, Laguna and Quezon on Luzon; the island of Mindoro; the Visayan islands of Leyte, and Samar; and the provinces of Bukidnon, and Misamis, on Mindanao. It grows as an epiphyte at elevations of up to 900 meters. Due to its small size, and un-orchid like appearance it is probably ignored by people in the forest.
The genus Oxystophyllum is not well known amongst the broader spectrum of orchid growers, unless one admirers almost perfectly grown leaf arrangements. It’s one of those examples, where less noticeable plants in the wild, can save the very same genus, or species, from poaching.