Holothrix pentadactyla (Summerh.) Summerh. 1960

Photo by © P J Cribb and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Five-Fingered Holothrix

Flower Size

Found in Kenya in upland grasslands and on open rocky ground at elevations of 2300 to 2900 meters as a miniature to medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with a single, basal, reniform, basally cordate, glabrous leaf that withers before blooming which occurs in the winter on an erect, terminal, glabrous, secund, 8 to 12" [20 to 30 cm] long, densely many flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, aute to acuminate, shorter than the ovary floral bracts.

"Characterised by the short dense secund inflorescence, the shortly 5 loberd petals and the 5 to 7 lobed labellum. The plant is glabrous except for the base of the scape which is retrorsely hairy." Summerhayes 1960

Synonyms Deroemera pentadactyla Summerh. 1927

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1927: 418 Summerhayes 1927 as Deroemera pentadactyla;

*Kew Bull. 14: 129 Summerhayes 1960

Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968;

Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;

Orchids of Kenya Stewart & Campbell 1996 photo ok;

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