Habenaria thomsonii Rchb.f. 1885 SECTION Replicatae

Collection sheet by © Renz and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name Thomson's Habenaria [English Missionary 1800's]

Flower Size

Found in Kenya in damp or swampy grounds at elevations of 2000 to 2700 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with an erect, slender to rather stout, leafy throughout stem carrying 7 to 10, erect, lanceolate, grading smaller above leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on a terminal, erect, 2.4 to 3.8" [6 to 12 cm] long, 12 to 35 flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, often equal or longer than the pedicel floral bracts and carrying flowers that are green with a white center.

Similar to H humilior but H thomsonii has a much shorter spur, acuminate anterior petal segmernts and falcate lateral lip segments." Rendle 1895

Synonyms Bilabrella thomsonii (Rchb.f.) Szlach. & Kras-Lap. 2003; Habenaria humilior var. brevicalcarata Rendle 1895

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 21: 404 Rchb.f 1885

J. Bot. 33: 280 Rendle 1895 as H humilior var. brevicalcarata Kew Bull. 17: 513 Summerhayes 1964

Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaeceae Part 1: 85 Summerhayes 1968;

Orchids of Kenya Stewart & Campbell 1996

Richardiana 3: 143 Szlach. & Kras-Lap. 2003 as Bilabrella thomsonii

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