Bulbophyllum medusae

Bulbophyllum medusae, commonly known as the Medusa orchid is a species of epiphytic orchid with a creeping rhizome and a single leaf about  long emerging from the top of each pseudobulb.  The flowers are creamy yellow and arranged in cluster of about fiften arranged in a circle at the tip of the flowering stem.  The flowers have an unpleasant odour.  The flowers have thread-like lateral sepals about  long, giving each cluster of flowers the appearance of Medusa. 

The Medusa orchid was first formally described in 1861 by John Lindley who gave it the name Cirrhopetalum medusae and published the description in Edwards's Botanical Register.  In 1861, Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach changed the name to Bulbophyllum medusae. 

Bulbophyllum medusae grows on the trunk and main branches of trees in forest at altitudes up to  in Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, the Lesser Sunda Islands and Sumatra. 

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medusae
Category:Epiphytic orchids
Category:Orchids of Malaya
Category:Orchids of Thailand
Category:Orchids of Borneo
Category:Plants described in 1842