Habenaria afra Schltr. 1924 SECTION Replicatae

Plant In Situ Zimbabwe Photos by Bart Wursten ©, and his Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite

Plant and Flowers in situ Drakensburg SA Photo by © Cameron McMasters

EARLY

Common Name The Natal Habenaria

Flower Size

Found in eastern Cape Province, Orange Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West Province, Limpopo, Natal, Swaziland and Lesotho South Africa as well as Zimbabwe in well drained grasslands and between rocks near rivers at elevations of 600 to 1800 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with 6 to 10, cauline leaves that blooms in the summer and early fall on a terminal, erect, to 16" [to 40 cm] long, somewhat laxly 20 to 60 flowered inflorescence

Often written as H caffra, I have not seen the type publication to see if this H afra is the true spelling or a PC spelling

Synonyms Bilabrella caffra (Schltr.) Szlach. & Kras 2009; Habenaria falcicornis subsp. caffra (Schltr.) J.C.Manning 1989; Habenaria falcicornis var. caffra (Schltr.) Renz & Schelpe 1980; Habenaria tetrapetala Kraenzl. ex Rolfe 1912

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Ann. Transvaal Mus. 10: 242 Schlechter 1924 as ?

An Introdution to the South African Orchids Schelpe 1966 as H caffra photo/drawing fide;

Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 as H falcicornis var cafra photo fide;

Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 as H falcicornis subsp caffra photo fide;

Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photos some good some H falcicornis;

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

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