New species of Bulbophyllum from eastern Malesia (Orchidaceae)

the Netherlands. Thirty-eight new species of Bulbophyllum are described; thirty-seven of these are from New Guinea, the remaining species is assumed to have originated from Ceram; notes on additional miscellaneous species from New Guinea are provided. The island of New Guinea is politically divided into two. The western half, formerly Netherlands New Guinea, is today a province of Indonesia. It was recently renamed Papua after having previously been known as Irian Jaya. The eastern part of the island constitutes the independent state Papua New Guinea. The wealth of biodiversity of New Guinea is phenomenal, and the island remains one of the last wilderness frontiers in the Malesian region. Unfortunately, it is increasingly being encroached upon as rich natural resources, particularly timber and mineral ores, are exploited. Unfortunately, the exploration of New Guinea’s wonderful biodiversity lags behind at a time when knowledge of the most important diversity hot spots is crucial if policies are to be developed to conserve them. I fear that the present relentless pillage of the island’s natural resources will lead to the annihilation of much of its unique biodiversity even before it has been scientifically documented. As for orchids, the plants that seem to have such an extraordinary appeal to the conservationist and layman alike, the taxonomic knowledge available lies scattered over a number of publications, some of which are not easily accessible. The CD-rom series ‘Orchids of New Guinea’ (Schuiteman and de Vogel 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, in prep.) provides a synopsis of the information available so far. Four volumes have been published, a fifth and sixth are in preparation. The final volume will deal with the genus Bulbophyllum, the largest genus in the area with about 600 species known. Presented here is an anthology of thirty-seven new species of Bulbophyllum from New Guinea, selected from among many more novelties within the genus, extant in the collections at Leiden (L) and elsewhere. It is as vivid a testimony to the incredible wealth of biodiversity of New Guinea, and to our very limited knowledge thereof, as the recent discoveries in the Mamberamo area and the Foy