Habenaria nyikana Rchb.f. 1881 SECTION Replicatae Kranzl 1892
Photos by Bart Wursten ©, and his Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite
Common Name The Nyika Habenaria [An Island near Mozambique, not the plateau in Malawi]
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Transvaal South Africa in grassland, woodland and vlei margins at elevations up to 1750 meters as a giant sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial with ellipsoid densely tomentose tubers giving rise to an erect, stout, leafy throughout stem carrying 10 to 20, the lowermost reduced to a sheath, the middle 6 to 10, suberect, linear to lanceolate-linear, acute, leaves with 3 distinct longitudinal veins born along the midrib that blooms in the fall on an erect, terminal, 4 to 14" [10 to 35 cm] long, successively 8 to many-flowered inflorescence with basally glandular, scarious at the tips, the lowest equal to the ovary floral bracts and carrying green flowers with a white center.
Synonyms Bilabrella nyikana (Rchb.f.) Szlach. & Kras-Lap 2003; Habenaria elatior Schltr. 1924; Habenaria nyikana subsp. pubipetala Summerh. 1962
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Otia Botanica Hamburgensia: 100 Rchb.f 1881;
Kew Bull. 16: 291 Summerhayes 1962 as H nyikana subsp. pubipetala
Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo good;
Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;
Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 1 Summerhayes 1968 as H nyikana subsp. pubipetala ;
Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995;
Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 drawing fide;
Richardiana 3: 141 Szlach. & Kras-Lap 2003 as Bilabrella nyikana
Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photos fide;
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