Malaxis densiflora (A.Rich.) Kuntze 1891

Drawing © by M.D.Dassanayake & F.R.Fosberg and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Densely Flowered Malaxis

Flower Size .04" [1 mm]

Found in southwestern India and Sri Lanka tropical wet evergreen forests at elevations of 200 to 2000 meters as a small sized, hot to cool growing terrestrial with erect, globose, pseudobulbous stems enveloped by leaf sheath bases carrying 2 to 3, sessile to shortly petiolate, ovate to lanceolate, acute to acuminate, 5 veined, wavy margined leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on an erect, peduncle 1 to 3" [2.5 to 7.5 cm] long, carrying a few deflexed, empty bracts, 2 to 10" [5 to 25 cm] long, densely many flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, deflexed, as long as the flower floral bracts and carrying yellowish to greenish yellow flowers.

Synonyms Corymborkis densiflora (A.Rich.) M.R.Almeida 2009; *Liparis densiflora A.Rich. 1841; Malaxis densiflora var. luteola (Wight) P.K.Sarkar 1984; Microstylis densiflora (A.Rich.) Alston 1931; Microstylis luteola Wight 1851; Microstylis pratensis Ridl. 1888; Microstylis versicolor Wight 1844; Microstylis versicolor var. luteola (Wight) Hook.f. 1890; Seidenfia densiflora (A.Rich.) Szlach. 1995

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 #3 1979 as Microstylis densiflora; A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon Dassanayake & Fosberg 1981 drawing fide; Orchids of Nilgiris Joseph 1987 drawing fide; Lankesteriana Vol 18 [1]: 23–62 Jalal & Jayanth 2018

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