Polystachya camaridioides Summerh. 1957

SECTION Affines Kraenzl.

Inflorescence and Plant Photos by Vincent Droissart and His West African Orchid WebsiteP>Collection Sheet Collection Sheet by D W Thomas and Kew's Plants of the World Website

Common Name or Meaning The Camaridium-Like Polystachya [refers to the growth appearance similar to Maxillaria camaridii]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Gulf of Guinea Islands, Nigeria and Cameroon in montane and submontane forests at elevations of 150 to 1300 meters as a mini-miniature sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte with narrowly ovoid to elliptic pseudobulbs carrying 4 well spaced, elliptic to ligulate, canaliculate, round and bilobed apically leaves that blooms in the winter and spring on a terminal, shortly paniculate, rachis minutely pubescent, .4 to .8" [1 to 2 cm] long, to 10 flowered inflorescence with suberect, lanceolate, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts.

"This remarkable little species seems most closely allied to P. obanensis and P. laurentii , and less closely to P. affinis , all of which are characterised by the presence of distinct pseudobulbs. In the other species, however, the part of each annual growth below the pseudobulb is very short and the closely placed nodes bear either cataphylls or a small number of foliage leaves. In the present species, however, the lower part of the annual growth is much elongated bearing as many as four well spaced-out leaves, while the uppermost internode swells up to form the pseudobulb which bears a single apical leaf. The new growth then arises from the axil of the leaf at the base of the pseudobulb, successive stems therfore being superposed much as in SECTION Superpositae. In the latter section, however, there is no diferentation between stem and pseudobulb, the whole stem often being very swollen." Summerhayes 1957

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 12: 111 Summerhayes 1957 Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko etal 2015 drawing fide;

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