Holothrix tridactylites Summerh. 1962

Drawing by © Mcloughlin

LATER

Common Name The Three Fingered Holothrix

Flower Size .25" [.6 cm]

Found in Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania in short upland grasslands at elevations around 2100 meters as a mini-miniature to small sized, cold growing terrestrial with a single, basal, orbicular-reniform, shriveded at flowering leaf that blooms in the later winter on an erect, with a few lanceoalte bracts, retrorsely pubescent below, glabrous above, 3.6 to 8.4" [9 to 21 cm] long, more or less secund, rather lax, 3 to 10 flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, very acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying white flowers.

"This species may be distinguished from its nearest ally, H. triloba , by the pubescent scape at the base, with a few sheaths, smaller flowers, the labellum and petal lobes being proportionately longer and often diverging. The most striking features in the flower are the relatively long petal and labellum lobes, which diverge more from one another than in other similar species. The plant is also interesting in that it has the lower part of the scape pubescent whereas as regards the floral structure and bracts on the scape it is clearly allied to the glabrous species formerly placed in Deroemera." Summerhayes 1962

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 16: 253 Summerhayes 1962

The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing fide;

Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Pt 3 Cribb 1989 Drawing fide;

Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995 drawing

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