Cynorkis christae Hermans, Andriant. & Sieder 2017 SECTION Cynorchis
Photos by © Johan Hermans and Anton Seider and
Common Name Christa's Cynorkis [Mrs Sieder wife of Co-author and Co-finder of species current]
Flower Size 1.8 to 2.48" [4.5 to 6.2 cm] wide
Found in north western Madagascar in seasonally dry grassland on basement rock, water seepage areas on basalt rock, in crevices and shallow pockets of humus, at elevations of 350 to 600 meters as a medium sized, hot to warm growing pendent to arching terrestrial with 2 elongate tubers giving rise to a shorter stem subtended by 1 to 2, funnel shaped sheaths and carrying above a single, arching, radical, glabrous, pale to mid green, glossy above, lanceolate-ellitpic, acuminate and somewhat narrowing towarsd the base, obtuse apically leaf that blooms in the summer on an erect, to 16" [40 cm] long, green with a few brown marks towards the base, glabrous, emerging from the base of the unfurling leaf, provided with a large ovate, leaf-like sheath in the upper third of the peduncle, successively 3 to 4 flowered inflorescence with green, similar in shape to the peduncle sheath, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying plesantly and strongly scented, large for the genus flowers
Similar to C gigas but this one has an unspotted leaf, a 14" long inflorescence, 1/3 the length of the ovary floral bracts, 2 to 4 flowers, oval rounded lobes and a completely white lip, a spur that is 6.4 to 7.6" [16 to 19 cm] long, and indistinctly swollen in the upper 1/3, and occurs at much lower elevations in the northwest of Madagascar.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Hermans, J., Andriantiana, J.L., Sieder, A. et al. Kew Bull (2017) 72: 38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-017-9715-4 drawing/photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 81 #3 2017 photo fide; A la Recherche des Orchidees de Madagascar Hervouet 2018 photo fide;
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