Habenaria silvatica Schltr. 1915 SECTION Pentaceras [Thouars] Schlechter.

Photo courtesy of © Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz

Common Name The Forest Dwelling Habenaria

Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]

Found in Tanzania and Zambia in woodlands at elevations of 900 to 1500 meters as a miniature to medium sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial with an erect leafy stem carrying the lowest 2 to 4 sheath-like and the rest erect, linear, leaves that blooms in the summer on an erect, 1.6 to 10" [4 to 25 cm] long, fairly densely several to many flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, acute, as long as to shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying spreading, green to yellowish green flowers.

"Undoubledly a close relative of H uhehensis and H malacophylla especially the former, but differing from the latter in nhaving smaller flowers and shorter stalks." Schlecher 1915

Synonyms Habenaria debiliflora G.Will. 1981; Habenaria debilis G.Will. 1980

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 497 Schlechter 1915

Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;

The Orchids of South Central Africa: 49 Williamson 1977

The Orchids of South Central Africa: fig 19 # 26 Williamson 1977 drawing fide

S. African Bot. 46: 329 G Willianson 1980 as H debilis nom. illeg.

J. S. African Bot. 47: 133 G Williamson 1981 as H debiliflora;

Flora Zambesiaca Volume 11 Part one Pope 1998;

Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1: 154 Szlatchecko etal 2010 drawing fide

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