Aerangis kotschyana (Rchb. f.) Schltr. 1918

Photo by © Lourens Grobler

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Common Name or Meaning Kotschy's Aerangis [German Collector in Sudan 1800's]

Flower Size 1 1/2" [3.5 cm]

This hot to warm growing, epiphytic, medium sized orchid comes from Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Zaire, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Natal South Africa and south to Angola and Madagascar on smooth barked trees high in the canopy but still on large branches and trunks as well as old bushes and smaller trees in hot woodlands with seasonal high rainfalls or in hot, dry riverine areas occuring at altitudes of 200 to 1500 meters with short, stout stems carrying several distichous, oblong to obovate, coriaceous, broad and unequally bilobed apically, dark green leaf that is often mottled and has undulate margins that blooms in the fall and winter on a pendant, 12 to 18" [30 to 45 cm] long, many flowered inflorescence with 8 to 20, fragrant gardenia scented , waxy flowers with a pinkish brown, corkscrew like spiral to the lower part of the pink spur. This species does best mounted in high humidity, moderate shade, warm to hot temperatures and a longer dry winter rest with increasing light to bring on the flowering.

Synonyms Aerangis grantii (Bateman ex Baker) Schltr. 1918; Aerangis kotschyi Rchb.f 1881; *Angraecum kotschyanum Rchb. f. 1864; Angraecum grantii Bateman ex Baker 1875; Angraecum kotschyi Rchb. f. 1880; Angraecum semipedale Rendle & Rolfe 1895; Rhaphidorhynchus kotschyi (Rchb. f.) Finet 1907

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Otia Botanica Hamburgensia Rchb.f 1881 A kotschyi; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 3 1958 as Angraecum kotschii photo ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 10 1963; AOS Bulletin Vol 33 No 5 1964 as Angraecum kotschii; Encylopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 37 No 11 1968 photo fide; Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 10 1970; The Epiphytic Orchids of Malawi Morris 1970 drawing fide; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 7 1980 photo fide; Malawi Orchids La Croix 1983; Rudolph Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 16/17/18 945-1128 Brieger 1985 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 8 1986 photo fide; An Introduction to the Cultivated Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar Hillerman & Holst 1986; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989; A Culture Manual for Angraecoid Orchid Growers Hillerman 1992 photo fide; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Laurent 1992 photo ; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchds Pridgeon 1992; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchids of Kenya Stwart & Campbell 1996 photo fide; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997 drawing fide; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 2 Pope 1998; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 photo fide; Flora's Orchids Nash & La Croix 2005; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glenn 2002; Orchid Digest Vol 70 #4 2006 photo fide; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006 photo; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016

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