!Orestias elegans Ridl. 1887 Drawing by H.B. Margonska & D.L. Szlachetko and The Taxonomic Revision of the African Genus Orestias Ridl. Website

Collection sheet Scan by Jstor and the JSTOR Plant Science Website

Common Name The Elegant Orestias

Flower Size .24" to .26" [6 to 6.5 mm]

Found in the Gulf Of Guinea Islands at elevations around 1200 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing terrestrial orchid with a creeping rhizome giving rise to an erect stem carrying 2 to 4, ovate to oblong-ovate, distinctly attenuate, apiculate, green above, paler beneath leaves that blooms in the fall on an erect, terminal, peduncle 1.6 to 3.6" [4 to 9 cm] long, rachis 1.2 to 4.4" [3 to 11 cm] long, 4 to 6.4" [10 to 16 cm] long, densely 10 to 40 flowered inflorescence.

The pictured collected specimen is the type for the genus as well as the type for Orestias elegans and was collected in 9/1885

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Band 3 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas Liferung #13 753 - 819 Liparinae 1983 drawing fide; drawing ok; The Taxonomic Revision of the African Genus Orestias Ridl. H.B. Margonska & D.L. Szlachetko 2006 drawing fide; Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Szaltchetko etal 2012 drawing fide

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