Platycoryne protearum (Rchb.f.) Rolfe 1898

Drawing and collection sheet by © The Kew Royal Botanical Garden Website

Common Name or Meaning The Pale Platycoryne

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

Found in Zaire, Tanzania, Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe in wet grasslands and marshy to seepage areas amongst rocks at elefvations of 1050 to 2200 meters as a small to medium sized, warm to cold growing terrestrial with globose to ellipsoid tubers giving rise to an erect stem carrying 4, lowermost sheath-like, the next 2 to 3, lanceolate, acute, the rest gradually smaller above, bract like, spaced out along the stem leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, erect, to 4.8" [12 cm] long, laxly 1 to 5 flowered inflorscence carrying semi-erect, variable, greenish yellow to yellow orange flowers

"The closest relatives of P. protearum is P affinis but the labellum is shorter and broader and widened in the lower part." Summerhayes 1958

Synonyms Habenaria paludosa Rchb.f. 1865; *Habenaria protearum Rchb.f. 1878; Habenaria ukingensis Schltr. 1915; Platycoryne protearum var. recurvirostrum G.Will. 1980; Platycoryne ukingensis (Schltr.) Summerh. 1958

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Kew Bull. 13: 60 Summerhayes 1958

Kew Bull. 13: 61 Summerhayes 1958 as P ukingensis

Kew Bull. 17: 533 Summerhayes 1964

Flora Of Tropical East Africa Vol 1 Summerhayes 1968;

The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing fide;

Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orhidaceae Premeir parte Geerink 1984;

Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995;

Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995 as P Protearum var recurvorostris;

Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1: 174 Szlatchecko etal 2010 drawing fide

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