Habenaria mechowii Rchb.f. 1882 SECTION Diphyllae Kraenzl.Photo courtesy of © Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz and their Website

Common Name Mechow's Habenaria

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

Found in Zaire, Tanzania, Angola, Malawi and Zambia in wet grasslands and dambo margins at elevations of 750 to 1650 meters as a medium sized, warm to cool growing, robust terrestrial with ovoid to ellipsoid tubers giving rise to an erect stem carrying 2 basal, adpressed to the ground, reniform to ovate, cordate basally, apiculate to rounded apically, rather fleshy leaves and 5 to 13 bract-like leaves above that blooms in the summer on an erect, 4 to 8" [10 to 20 cm] long, loosely to fairly densely 2 to 9 flowered inflorescence.

Synonyms Arachnaria mechowii (Rchb.f.) Szlach.2003

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora of Tropical East Africa 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 Zambesiaca Volume 11 Part one Pope 1998; Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1 Szlatchecko etal 2010 as Arachnaria mechowii drawing fide

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