Habenaria avicula Schltr. 1921 SECTION Leptoceras
Photos by © Luis Alberto Torres Montenegro
Drawing by © A Krol
Drawing by © Joćo A. N. Batista; Joćo Batista F. da Silva; Luciano de Bem Bianchetti and the The genus Habenaria (Orchidaceae) in the Brazilian Amazon
Common Name The Small Bird Habenaria
Flower Size
Found in Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil at elevations of 200 to 260 meters as a medium sized, hot growing terrestrial with an erect stem carrying 7 to 10, oblong-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, acute leaves clustered towards the middle of the stem that blooms in the fall on a terminal, erect, to 5.2" [13 cm] long,loosely to 15 flowered inflorscence with shorter than the ovary floral bracts.
+"This species is similar Habenaria leptoceras Hook. 1827, found in the Atlantic forest and " restingas" in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo and Bahia in southeastern Brazil. However, in H. avicula, similarly to H. alterosula, the leaves are concentrated on the middle or upper part of the stem and the lateral segments of the lip range from about 1 mm long to almost absent. In H. leptoceras the leaves are better distributed along the stem or concentrated on the lower part, and the lateral segments of the lip are (2-)3-4 mm long. The only collection of H. avicula known from Brazil was collected in a " caatinga" on white sand, a vegetation similar to the coast sandy " restingas" , where H. leptoceras is typically found. Flowers are recorded as green and white."
Habenaria patentiloba is often cited as a synonym of H avicula but I feel that they may be different with H avicula being only in northern South America and H pateniloba only in Panama. The most distinguishing characteriztic is the leafy throughout stem in H patentiloba and the stem carrying leaves clustered towards the middle of H avicula.
Synonyms Habenaria avicula var. peruviana C.Schweinf. 1941
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Repert. Speciorum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis Band XVII Panama Schlechter 1922;
The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen 1946 not = H patentiloba;
Orchids of Peru Vol 1 Schweinfurth 1958 as H avicula var peruviana;
Orchids of Peru Vol 1 Schweinfurth 1958 as H avicula var peruviana drawing good;
Field Guide to the Orchids of Panama and Costa Rica Dressler 1993 not = H patentiloba;
Phylogeny and Classification of the Orchid Family Dressler 1993 drawing hmm;
+ The genus Habenaria (Orchidaceae) in the Brazilian AmazonRev. bras. Bot. vol.31 no.1 Sćo Paulo Jan./Mar. 2008 drawing fide;
Orquideas Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol 1:116 Szlachetko & Kolanowska 2017 drawing fide
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