Habenaria velutina Summerh. 1964 SECTION Diphyllae

Drawing © by Mary Grierson

EARLY

Common Name The Velvety Habenaria

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Zambia in grasslands often near streams at elevations around 1270 meters as a small to medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with almost the entire plant velvety hairy, an ellipsoid to globose tuber giving rise to an erect stem carrying a single, basal, adpressed to the ground, ovate to orbicular, densely pubescent above, glabrous beneath, roundish apically, basally cordate leaf and 1 to 3, adpressed, very pubescent bract-like leaves above, that blooms in the early summer on a terminal, erect, 2 to 2.8" [5 to 7 cm] long, fairly laxly 6 to 9 flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, acute, margins erose, slightly shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying pale green, spreading flowers

Synonyms Pseudohemipilia velutina (Summerh.) Szlach. 2003

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing fide; Flora of Zambia Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995 drawing fide;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------