Schizochilus lepidus Summerh. 1960

Photo by © B Jongeling

Common Name The Beautiful Schizochilus

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in eastern Zimbabwe and western Mozambique in montane grasslands at elevations above 2000 meters as a slender, small sized, cold growing terrestrial with 8 to 12, scattered on the stem the lower 2 to 5, semi-erect, narowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, acute, the upper more or less sheathing leaves that blooms in the spring through summer on a semi-dense, erect then nodding, .8 to 3.2" [2 to 8 cm] long, 20 to 30 flowered inflorescence.

"A rather attractive species that is mostly closely allied to the South African species S zeyheri from which it differs in the smaller satature, aggregated leaves near the base of the stem, the longer and denser raceme, the three nerved sepasl and the calli evenly developed between themselves. Of special interest are the clustered almost basal rather broad leaves and the relatively sudden transition from those to the much smaller bract-like leaves or sheaths which nearly cover the remainder of the stem. The three calli on the lower part of the labellum are almost equal in size and obtuse in front whereas in S. zeyheri the lateral ones are not so well developed as the central one which is more keel-like in shape." Summerhayes 1960

Very similar to the variable S zeyheri from which it can be separated by the short, sub-clavate spur

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Kew Bull. 14: 130 Summerhayes 1960 Flora Zambeziaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae part 1 Pope 1995;

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