Polystachya ligulifolia Summerh. 1953 SECTION Caulescentes Kranzl

TYPE Collection Sheet by © J Bequeart and Kew's Plants of the World Website

Common Name The Ligulate Leaved Polystachya

Flower Size

Found in Zaire and Rwanda in montane forests at elevations around 2300 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with a rhizome with .4" [1` cm] between each erect, 2 to 4.8" [5 to 12 cm] tall, 2 to 3 leaved above, smooth stems carrying almost erect, sheath longitudinally ribed, blade narrowly ligulate, narrowing on both sides, very shortly bilobed apcailly, obtseu, slightly leathery leaves that do not blacken when dried that blooms in the spring on a terminal, simple to few abortive branched, to 2.4" [6 cm] long, sparsely pubescent, subdense, to 7 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying ascending, yellowish green, glabrous flowers.

"This species shows clearly the close relationship between the species of sect. Caulescentes allied to P. albascens and the group of species in sect. Cultriformes related to P. galeata In some of the latter, for example P. doggettii which comes from the same moun- tain group, two leaves are borne rarely on a pesudobulb, in this respect being intermediate between the two sections." Summerhayes 1953

Synonyms Mariarisqueta divina Guinea 1946

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 8: 133 Summerhayes 1953

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