Holothrix mac-owaniana Rchb.f. 1881 TYPE Drawing by © Schlechter

Part shade Cool Winter

Common Name MacCowan’s Holothrix [English Chemist and Botanist 1800’s]

Flower Size

Found in the Zimbabwe and Cape Province of South Africa in shallow soils near large boulders at elevations of 1800 to 1850 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing terrestrial with one or two ellipsoid, hairy tubers giving rise to 2 adpressed to the ground, broadly ovate leaves that blooms in the winter on an erect, purplish, naked, sparsely hairy, rachis to 2” [to 5 cm] long, fairly laxly 3 to 7 flowered inflorescence with hairy, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying secund, white flowers.

Very similar to H buchananii but H macowiana has a glabrous ovary with smaller flowers.

Synonyms Tryphia mac-owaniana Rchb.f. 1881

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995

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