Habenaria agapitae R.González & Reynoso 1993
Photo from © S.Thomas & P.J.Cribb 1996
TYPE Drawing by © Jorge Roberto González Tamayo and Las Orquideas del Occidente de Mexico Vol 1: 130 Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010
Common Name The Habenaria
Flower Size
Found in Jalisco, Guerrero and México States of Mexico in soils rich in humus, in shady areas, in damp ravines all year round, in oak forest with elements of the tropical forest and in cloud forest,at elevations of 1200 to 2150 meters as a medium to large sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with a descending, ellipsoid, almost smooth, potato-like tuber giving rise to an erect, cylindrical, angular above, leafy throughout stem carrying 11 to 19, soft, cauline, sheathing, extended or ascending, green, the first obovate, obtuse blade, then rhombic-lanceolate, the upper oblong-rombical spatulate, acuminate, the largest located in the middle part of the plant, cuneate, the largest soft, 5.2 to 8.12" [13 to 20.3 cm] long, 1.4 to 1.87" [3.5 to 4.7 cm] wide, trinervate, gradually decrease towards both ends, furrowed, carinated along the nerve the margins are undulating or almost frizzy leaves that blooms in the fall on an erect, terminal, rachis angled, held in a loose cluster, short for plant size, 1.6 to 8" [4 to 20 cm] long, 1.6 to 1.64" [4 to 4.6 cm] in diameter, 8 to 17 or more flowered inflorescence with truliform-lanceolate, triangular-lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, acuminate, trinerved, reticulum lax, carnate along central rib, keel not very prominent, the first slightly exceeds the ovary and attached to it, in the upper ones it is shorter floral bracts.
"Habenaria agapitae is close to H. sebastianensis which has leathery leaves, a triangular ovary in cross-section, linear-fusiform with angular ribs, verruculous; the dorsal sepal elliptical, obtuse, apiculate; the acuminate lateral sepals; the posterior segment of the petals oblique, oblong; the anterior lobe sharply rounded; the subsessile labellum; the lateral lobes linear, sharply rounded; lobe half obtuse rounded; a linear-cylindrical nectary, barely dilated above half, acute; the column in profile view subsquare, rectangular in profile view; the stelidia in profile view with the semiorbicular distal part, with few warts; the rounded obtuse rostellum, is extended into two arms that are not very convergent; the locules of the anther obovate and pollinia elliptical. Habenaria agapitae resembles H. diffusa from which it is distinguished by the flat leaves, comparatively narrower and undulating on the edge, with a carina, furrowed along the central rib, the development of the leaf blade is more gradual at both extremes; the rachis cluster narrower and generally less flowering; greenish-white petals and labellum and the nectary equilongum or slightly shorter than the ovary, slightly sigmoid, with the distal fusiform part." Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Bol. Inst. Bot. Univ. Guadalajara 1: 371 R.González & Reynoso 1993;
Las Orquideas del Occidente de Mexico Vol 1: 132 Jorge Roberto González Tamayo y Lizbeth Hernández Hernández 2010 drawing fide;
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