Habenaria microsaccos Kraenzl. 1909 SECTION Replicatae

Photos by © Jany Renz and © The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Part shade Cold Fall

Common Name The Small Sacked Habenaria [refers to the short spur]

Flower Size

Found in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya in open glades of forests at elevations of 2350 to 3000 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with an erect, slender to rather stout stem carrying 7 to 12, mostly lanceolate-linear, grading smaller and adpressed to the stem above leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, erect, 4 to 8" [10 to 20 cm] long, 10 to 35 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary floral bracts

"In describing H. microsaccus Kraenzlin mentioned that it was characterised by two special features, namely, the very short spur, from which the trivial name was derived, and the " sonderbaren fliigelartigen Anhingsel der Anthere." An examination of the type specimen shows that these so-called appendages, which, incidentally, are practically free from the anther to their base, are two additional anthers. Each one is provided with 2 properly constructed thecae and anther canals, though the latter, on account of the absence of supporting rostellum-arms, tend to curl up towards the anther. There are also the usual staminodes on the outside of each lateral anther." Summerhayes 1938

Synonyms Bilabrella linderi (Summerh.) Szlach. & Kras-Lap, 2003; Habenaria linderi Summerh. 1931

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 43: 393 Kraenzlin 1909;

Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1931: 381 Summerhayes 1931 as Habenaria linderi

Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1938: 146 Summerhayes 1938 as H linderi;

Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 1 Summerhayes 1968 as H linderi;

Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orchidaceae Premeir parte Geerink 1984;

Orchids of Kenya Stewart & Campbell 1996 as H linderi;

Richardiana 3: 141 Szlach 2003 as Bilabrella linderi

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