Aerangis kirkii (Rchb.f.) Schltr. 1918 Photo by G Meyer

Inflorescence Photo by Isobyl and Eric La Croix

Common Name Kirk's Aerangis [English Council in Zanzibar and orchid enthusiast 1900's]

Flower Size 1 to 2" [2.5 to 5 cm]

This species occurs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South African in coastal bush and riverine forests on shrubs and and small trees at elevations up to 450 meters as a small sized, hot growing epiphyte in deep shade and high humidity with a short stem carrying 2 to 7, dark green to gray green sometimes with a reddish tinge, narrowly oblanceolate, unequally bilobed apically, rounded to acute leaves that blooms in the fall on a spreading to pendant, to 7" [17 cm] long, 2 to 6 flowered inflorescence carrying apical flower first which is generally larger than the rest and the fragrant gardenia scented flowers are white strongly tinged with salmon

Synonyms Angraecum apiculatum var. kirkii (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1885; *Angraecum bilobum var. kirkii Rchb.f. 1882; Angraecum kirkii (Rchb.f.) Rolfe 1897

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Encylopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Aerangis biloba var kirkii; Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; An Introduction to the Cultivated Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar Hillerman & Holst 1986; Miniature Orchids Northern 1988; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Laurent 1992 photo fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchids Of Kenya Stewart 1996 photo fide; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997 drawing/photo fide; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 2 Pope 1998; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glenn 2002; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 11 2004 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 70 #4 2006 photo fide; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016

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