Habenaria apiculata Summerh. 1962 SECTION Trachypetala Summerh.
Collection sheet and photos by © Renz and the Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz Website
TYPE Drawing by © Summerhayes
LATE
EARLY
Common Name The Apiculate Habenaria
Flower Size
Found In Tanzania and Malawi? at elevations around 2000 to 2600 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with an erect, leafy stem carrying lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, descending in size towards the apex and becoming bract-like leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on an erect, terminal, 4 to 8" [10 to 20 cm] long, rather densely many flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, acuminate, shorter than the flowers floral bracts carrying suberect flowers.
"Although the petals are not properly hairy, but only ciliolate in the upper part, the species falls clearly into sect. Trachypetalae where it is closely allied to H. trachypetala itself. It differs from that species by the smaller flowers, petals ciliolate on top and hairy in the middle, very wide, labellum long, anther long-apiculate with short petals. Apart from being nearly glabrous, instead of thickly hairy, the petals differ in shape, the broadened anticous part being at, or just above, the middle instead of in the lower half as in H. trachypetala. An interesting feature is the long apiculus, over .04" [1 mm] in length, of the anther, a feature lacking in H. trachypetala; from this feature the specific epithet is taken." Summerhayes 1962
CAUTION If this orchid is not from Malawi then this determination most likely is incorrect, but it seems to fit the parameters of this species from Tanzania fairly well.
Synonyms Trachypetalum apiculatum (Summerh.) Szlach. & Sawicka 2003
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Kew Bull. 16: 261 Summerhayes 1962
Flora of Tropical East Africa Summerhayes 1968 Drawing fide
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