Acampe Lindley
in Fol. Orch. (1983), 5.

Introduction: Epiphytic vandaceous herbs with about four species, or possibly a few more, distributed from Africa to India, eastwards to China and southwards to Malaya, Indonesia and New Guinea.

Derivation of genus name: Lindley published this name in 1853 from the Greek akampas (rigid) and probably refers to the brittle flowers which are not flexible

Type species: Vanda multiflora Lindl. = Acampe multiflora (Lindl.) Lindl. = Acampe rigida (Buch.-Ham. ex J.E.Smith) P.F. Hunt)

Characteristics of the genus: Medium-sized epiphytic plants of monopodial habit. Leaves distichous, leathery, obliquely 2-lobed at apex. Inflorescence densely few to many flowered, racemose to subcorymbose. Flowers small to medium-sized. Sepals and petals opening wide, more or less similar, fleshy, brittle; lateral sepals somewhat adnate to the labellum on both sides of the spur. labellum saccate or spurred, firmly attached to the base of the column, entire, auriculate, sometimes with keels or hairs extending into the spur or saccate base. Column fleshy, short, foot absent; rostellum short, obscure. Pollinia 2, waxy, with long subulate stipe; viscidium small.

Number of species in New Guinea: Only one species, Acampe rigida (Buch.-Ham. ex J.J. Smith) P.F. Hunt; recorded by Millar (1978). No herbarium material at Lae. Specimen illustrated from live material in the Lae National Botanic Gardens.

Habitat: Reported from Kikori in the Gulf Province (Millar, 1978). A number of these plants are in cultivation in the Lae National Botanic Gardens No other information is available for the New Guinea provenance.

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Conservation Status: Not known.