Angraecum pusillum Lindl. 1836 SECTION Nana Photo by Lourens Grobler

Common Name The Insignificant Angraecum

Flower Size .15" [4 mm]

Found in Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cape Province, Natal and Transvaal South Africa in forest and scrub in shady, seasonally moist forests at elevations around 1200 to 1500 meters as a mini- miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte with a short, erect stem carrying grass-like, arranged in a fan, linear, dark greyish green leaves that blooms at most any time of the year on several, basal, simple, erect to curved, to 4" [10 cm] long, several to many flowered inflorescence holding the flowers all to one side.

An interesting species that has smaller plants to the north and as you find them more southerly become up to two times bigger. This species is separated from A sacciferum and A chameanthus by the fact that it is a main trunk epiphyte or lithophyte and has an upright inflorescence with up to 15 flowers, A sacciferum is a main trunk or twig epiphyte with a horizontal few [to 5] flowered inflorescence and A chamaenthus is always a twig epiphyte and has a minute inflorescence with up to 12 flowers. The other miniature that it can be confused with is Mystacidium flanaganii but it is always a twig epiphyte and has a pendant to 12 flowered inflorescence.

Synonyms Angorchis pusilla (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Angraecum burchellii Rchb.f. 1867; Epidorkis burchellii (Rchb.f.) Kuntze 1891; Lesliegraecum pusillum (Lindl.) Szlach., Mytnik & Grochocka 2013

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide; Die Orchideen lieferung 16/17/18 Schlechter/Brieger 1986; Die Orchideen lieferung 16/17/18 Schlechter/Brieger 1986 as A burchelii; An Introduction to the Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar Hillerman & Holst 1986 as A burchellii; African Orchids In the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997 photo/drawing good; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 OrchidaceaePart 2 Pope 1998; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 drawing/photo fide; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans & Campbell 2006; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008;

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------