Malaxis prorepens (Kraenzl.) Summerh. 1934 Photo by © E Tanner and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Ground Crawling Malaxis

Flower Size .12" [3 mm]

Found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Central Africa Republic, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique in conifer forests and evergreen rainforests at elevations of 550 to 1800 meters as a small sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial with a creeping rhizome giving rise to fusiform, elongate pseudobulbs enveloped by 3 to 6 sheaths in the lower part and carrying 2 to 4, broadly lanceolate-acute, ovate-cordate, ovate, to broadly lanceolate, acute, thin textured, plicate, spreading, shortly petiolate to sessile base leaves that blooms in the winter and spring on an erect, terminal, [5 to 16 cm] long, densely 30 to 50 flowered inflorescence with ovate-lanceolate, acute floral bracts.

Synonyms Lisowskia prorepens (Kraenzl.) Szlach. 1995; Malaxis katochilos (Schltr.) Summerh. 1951 publ. 1952; Microstylis katochilos Schltr. 1905; *Microstylis prorepens Kraenzl. 1893

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 # 10 1963; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 drawing fide; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995; Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szatchetko etal 2010 as Lisowskia prorepens drawing fide

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