Holothrix buchananii Schltr. 1898

TYPE Drawing by © Schlechter

Common Name Buchanan’s Holothrix [Collector in Africa late 1800’s - early 1900’s]

Flower Size

Found in the Tanzania and Malawi in montane grasslands at elevations of 1900 to 2300 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with one or two ellipsoid, hairy tubers giving rise to 2 adpressed to the ground, broadly ovate to reniform-circular, dark green with silvery white venation leaves that blooms on an erect, purplish, naked, some s[reading to retrose haired, rachis to 2” [to 5 cm] long, fairly laxly 3 to 7 flowered inflorescence with hairy, shorter than the hairy ovary floral bracts and carrying secund, white flowers with 3 to 5 purple lines on the lip and green sepals with purplish tips.

Very similar to H mac-owiana but it has a glabrous ovary with smaller flowers.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Epiphytic Orchids of Malawi Morris 1970; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995

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