Habenaria tricruris (A.Rich.) Rchb.f. 1855 SECTION Multipartitae

Drawn by © S Thomson

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Three Legged Habenaria [refers to the 3 branched lip]

Flower Size

Found in Ethiopia and Eritrea on gentle grassy slopes, in marshy grasslands, on marshy banks along streams at elevations of 2250 to 2600 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing terrestrial with a leafy stem carrying 4 to 6, ovate-oblong leaves that blooms in the late spring and early summer on an erect, terminal,, 2 to 2.8" [5 to 7 cm] long, 4 to 6 flowered inflorescence with ovate-lanceolate floral bracts and carrying flowers with pale green sepals, cream to white petals and a pale green lip.

Similar to H aethiopia but H tricuris differs in the shorter spur 1 to 1.4" [2.5 to 3.5 cm] versus 2.6 to 3.2" [6.5 to 8 cm] long,

Synonyms Alinorchis tricruris (A.Rich.) Szlach. 2001; *Platanthera tricruris A.Rich. 1840

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 14: 265 A Rich. 1840 as Platanthera tricuris

* Bonplandia (Hannover) 3: 214 Rchb.f 1855

Polish Bot. J. 46: 129 Szlach 2001 as Alinorchis tricruris

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