Habenaria modesta Dalzell 1850SECTION Commelynifoliae Kraenzl 1893
LCDP Photo of H ovalifolia by © Jeewan Singh Jalal
Photo by © Jalal & Jayanth and Lankesteriana Vol 18 [1]: 23–62 Jalal & Jayanth 2018
TYPE Drawing of H ovalifolia by Wight
TO 
LATER
Common Name The Modest Habenaria
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found from India in shady locations and forest edges of semi-evergreen forests at elevations of 400 to 1200 meters as a medium to large sized, hot to cool growing terrestrial with 1 to 2, ovate-ellipsoid tubers giving rise to an erect. terete stem enveloped by 3 to 5 sheaths towards the base and carrying 3 to 7, clustered below the middle of the stem, oblong, ovate-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, entire leaves that blooms in the later summer on a 4 to 16" [10 to 40 cm] long, racemose, many flowered inflorescence with basally subconcave, shorter to as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying dull green flowers.
CAUTIONGoaverts at Kew, W3 Tropicos and IPNI, all at one time put, H modesta and H ovalifolia and as synonyms of H furcifera, but can easily be separated by the very long curving spur among other things.
Wight commented that this species is very variable in plant size (1 to 4 feet tall [12 to 48 cm]) even within a single colony.
Synonyms Habenaria ovalifolia Wight 1851; Habenaria platantheropsis Kraenzl. 1900
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 2: 262 Dalzell 1850;
Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5: t. 1708 Wight 1851 as H ovalifolia
Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5: t. 1708 Wight 1851 as H ovalifolia drawing fide;
Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 28: 172 Kraenzlin 1900 as H platantheropsis
Orchids of Bombay Santapau & Kapadia 1966 as H ovalifolia drawing fide;
Orchids of India A Glimpse Misra 2007 as H ovalifolia;
Lankesteriana Vol 18 [1]: 23–62 Jalal & Jayanth 2018 as H ovalifolia photo fide;
Orchids of Maharashtra Jalal 2018 as H ovalifolia;
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