''Grammatophyllum martae'' (Marta's Gramamatophyllum, named after Marta Rivilia y Montilla) is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of orchid in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Description

Habit: Erect & sympodial . with large Pseudobulbs of up to 22 cm tall and 10 cm in diameter. Leaves: 4 leaves at the apex of the pseudobulb, of 60 cm long and 10 cm wide. Inflorescences: bending, reaching 1.5 metres in length and able to carry up to 80 flowers. Flowers: are up to 4.5 cm wide, dark brown with yellow markings.

Taxonomy and nomenclature

The Filipino botanist Eduardo Quisumbing originally described this species but the name was not published. Professor Helen Valmayor and Danilo A. Tiu published the name in 1983, in ''Orchidiana Philippiniana''. The species was named after Mrs Martha Montilla Rivilla, a Philippine orchid enthusiast from Negros Occidental, in the Philippines.

Distribution and habitat

Found only in Negros in the Philippines. It grows as an epiphyte at elevations of up to 300 metres.

References

martae Orchids of the Philippines {{Cymbidieae-stub