Polystachya bella Summerh. 1960 "Kyong Hee" HCC/AOS SECTION Affines Kranzlin
Photo © by Eric Hunt, plant grown by Anna Chai
Photo by © Art Vogel
Common Name The Beautiful Polystachya
Flower Size 1" [2.5cm]
Found in Southwestern Kenya and Uganda in rainforests at elevations of 1800 to 1950 meters as a medium sized, cool growing epiphyte that has oval, compressed 3" to 4" [7.5 to 10cm] pseudobulbs tightly spaced on a branching rhizome. The 1 to 4 , 4" [10 cm] leaves are coriaceous, but flexible, suberect, and narrowly elliptic. The psuedobulb gives rise to an apical, 4" to 10" [10 to 25 cm] long, densly many flowered inflorescence that is sometimes branched, has many longlasting fragrant [of primrose] flowers that open in succession.
"This pretty species also belongs to the group section Affinesin which uppermost 1 or 2 internodes of each growth later form a pseudobiulb. It has been confused with P obanensis to which it is clearly closely allied. P. bella differs inthe denser many flowered inflorecences of golden yellow, not cream colored flowers, in the much longer bracts, in the larger flowers in which the tepals are relatively narrower and in the longer more pointed labellum which is sharply recurved just above the middle. The middle lobe of the labellum is very fleshy and difficult to flatten whereas in P obanensis proper there is only a low central callus in the middle of this lobe." Summerhayes 1960
Mounted or in a pot these plants need ample water while in growth and a lessening after the bulbs mature. This species has an ascending growth habit and can be maintained in a pot by placing some cork in the back of the pot so the plant can attach and grow up the cork.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Kew Bull. 14: 137 Summerhayes 1960
Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 11 1979 drawing fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 11 1983 photo fide;
Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984;
Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 23 1393 - 1456 Brieger 1990 1990 photo good;
Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996 photo fide;
African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997 drawing/photo fide;
Orchid Digest vol 71 #3 2007 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 7 2007 photo fide;
Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016;
AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #4 2016 photo fide;
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