Platycoryne brevirostris Summerh. 1958

Drawing by © Judi Stone

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Short Beak Platycoryne

Flower Size .2 to .32" [5 to 8 mm] long

Found in Angola and Zambia in seasonally flooded laterite pans and shallow flooded granite seepages at elevations around 1400 meters as a miniature to medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with ovoid tubers giving rise to an erect stem carrying 2 to 3, either basal or spread out, sheathing leaves that blooms in the late spring and early summer on an erect, 1 to 5 flowered inflorescence with herbaceous, green, lanceoalte, acute to shortly acuminate, shorter to rarely equal to the ovary floral bracts and carrying orange-yellow flowers.

"Another species similar in inflorescence to P proteasrum but with narrower leaves somewhat bunched at the base and smaller flowers. The labellum is distinctly three lobed just below the middle as in P. trilobata , but the middle lobe of the rostellum is much shorter than the laterals which are relatively long and narrow. In this respect the present species differs from the other species of this affinity, in all of which the middle lobe is much longer than the shoulder- like lateral lobes." Summerhayes 1958

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 13: 68 Summerhayes 1958

The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing fide;

Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995 drawing fide

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