Oberonia wightiana Lindl. 1839 Photos by Mulder & Mulder-Roelfsema

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

Drawing Drawing by © Seidenfaden and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name Wight's Oberonia [English director of India Botanical Garden 1800's]

Flower Size .08" [2 mm]

Found in India and Sri Lanka in submontane to tropical wet evergreen forests at elevvations of 550 to 2200 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with 3 to 5, ensiform, often subfalcate, acute-acuminate leaves that blooms in the fall on an erect, terminal, 3.2 to 4" [8 to 10 cm] long, somewhat curved, laxly many flowered inflorescence with oblong to lanceolate, erose floral bracts and carrying pale yellowish green flowers.

Lindley had 5 collections on the same sheet at Kew, the first drawing is the holotype and is based on Lindley 181, Seidenfaden's drawing uses 2 other collections to make his drawing.

Synonyms Iridorkis wightiana (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Malaxis wightiana (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1861; Oberonia arnottiana Wight 1851; Oberonia stachyoides A.Rich. 1841; Oberonia wightiana var. arnottiana (Wight) R.Ansari, N.C.Nair & V.J.Nair 1982; Oberonia wightiana var. nilgirensis R.Ansari, N.C.Nair & V.J.Nair 1982

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Indian Orchids: A Guide to Identification and Culture Vol 2 Pradhan 1979 drawing good; A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon Dassanayake & Fosberg 1981 drawing fide; Orchids of Nilgiris Joseph 1987 drawing fide; Orchid Monographs Vol 4 Ansari & Balakrishnan 1990 as O arnottiana drawing fide; Orchid Monographs Vol 4 Ansari & Balakrishnan 1990 as O cf wightiana drawing fide; Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide;

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