Habenaria galactantha Kraenzl. 1912 SECTION Diphyllae
Photos by © Bart Wursten and The Flora of Malawi Website
Drawing © by Williamson
Common Name The ? Habenaria
Flower Size .72" [1.8 cm]
Found in Burundi, Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia in open woodlands at elevations around 700 to 1500 meters as a medium to large sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial with globose to ovoi tubers giving rise to an erect, leafy stem carrying 2 basal, adpressed to the ground, broadly ovate to orbicular, spiculate, sometimes cordate base leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, erect, 3.6 to 7.2" [9 to 18 cm] long, laxly 5 to 13 flowered inflorescence with flowers that have greenish white sepals that are papillose or pubescent on the outside and white petals and lip.
" The differences between this species and H. macrura are small and somewhat confusing. The spur in H. macrura is said to be 3.6 to 8" [9 to 20 cm] long but for this species the spur in some literature is said to be only 1.6" [4 cm] but in FZ is said to be 1.2 to 4.4" [3 to 11 cm], which somewhat overlaps with that of H. macrura. Measurements of other floral parts also overlap but overall the flowers in this species are somewhat smaller than those of H. macrura." Bart Wursten and
Synonyms Arachnaria galactantha (Kraenzl.) Szlach. 2003
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 48: 387 Kraenzlin 1912
Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaeceae Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;
The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing fide;
Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orhidaceae Premeir parte Geerink 1984;
Flora of Zambeziaca Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995;
Richardiana 3: 156 Szlach 2003 as Arachnaria galactantha
Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1: 251 Szlach etal 2010 as Arachnaria galactantha;
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