Polystachya albescens Ridl. 1887 SECTION Caulescentes Kranzlin
Photos by Vincent Droissart and His West African Orchid Website
Common Name The Whitish Polystachya
Flower Size 3/4" [2.1 cm]
Found in Nigeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Rwanda, Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Transvaal South Africa in riverine forests and high rainfall woodlands at elevations of 800 to 1850 meters as a miniature to small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with clustered, cylindrical, green to yellow-green stems enveloped in youth by brown tubular sheaths and carrying 2 to 5, linear to strap-shaped leaves that blooms in the winter on an erect to recurved in apical half, 2 to 8" [5 to 20 cm] long, successively few, densely many flowered, racemose to paniculate inflorescence enveloped by papery sheaths and carrying non-resupinate flowers.
The typical variety is found at higher elevations [530 to 2500 meters] grows to 16" [40 cm] tall, has long, narrow leaves, slender branches on the inflorescence and an obscurely 3 lobed lip that is longer than wide and has a callus on the basal third.
Synonyms Polystachya albescens subsp. angustifolia (Summerh.) Summerh. 1958; Polystachya albescens subsp. imbricata (Rolfe) Summerh. 1958; Polystachya albescens subsp. kraenzlinii (Rolfe) Summerh. 1958; Polystachya albescens subsp. manengouba W.Sanford 2001; Polystachya albescens subsp. musozensis (Rendle) Summerh. 1958; Polystachya albescens subsp. polyphylla (Summerh.) Stévart 2004; Polystachya albescens subsp. principensis Stévart 2000; Polystachya imbricata Rolfe 1893; Polystachya imbricata subsp. kraenzlinii (Rolfe) Summerh. 1956; Polystachya imbricata subsp. musozensis (Rendle) Summerh. 1956; Polystachya kraenzlinii Rolfe 1897; Polystachya musozensis Rendle 1905; Polystachya oligophylla Schltr. 1915
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968 as P albescens subsp kraenzlinii; Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968 as P albescens subsp musozensis; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing/photo fide; The Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Schelpe, Linder and Hall 1982 photo fide; Malawi Orchids Vol 1 La Croix 1983; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 as P albascens subsps imbricata; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 as P albascens subsps kraenlinii; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 as P albascens subsp musozensis; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 as P albascens subsp Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 as P albascens Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 2 Pope 1998 as P albascens var imbricata; Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996 as Polystachya albescens subsp. kraenzlinii photo ok; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999; Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko etal 2015 drawing fide;
Polystachya albescens subsp. imbricata (Rolfe) Summerh. 1958
Vincent Droissart and His West African Orchid Website
This subspecies is a medium sized plant with clustered, reed-like stems carrying 2 to 5 linear-ligulate leaves and a much branched, imbricate bracted peduncle, to 8" [20 cm] long, several flowered inflorescence carrying greenish yellow tinged with purple especially on the lip and are glabrous to rarely sparsely pubescent.
Synonyms *Polystachya imbricata Rolfe 1893; Polystachya oligophylla Schltr. 1915
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Epiphytic Orchids of Malawi Morris 1970; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing/photo ok; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 photo good; African Orchids inn the wild and in cultivation La Croix 1997; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 2 Pope 1998; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 photo fide; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photo fide; Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko etal 2015 drawing fide;
Polystachya albescens subspecies polyphylla
Vincent Droissart and His West African Orchid Website
This subspecies occurs at 700 to 1000 metersand is a larger [14 to 34", 36 to 70 cm] and terrestrial plant growing among rocks with very leafy stems. The rachis is markedly zigzag and the lobes of the lip are acute.
Synonyms *Polystachya polyphylla Summerh. 1956
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko etal 2015 drawing fide;
Polystachya albescens subsp. principensis Stévart 2000
T Stevart and West African Orchid Website
Plant found at elevations of sea level to 680 meters, to 2 feet [60 cm] tall, 5 to 10, distantly arranged, oblong elliptic, sessile leaves, inflorescence to 1.2" [3 cm] long, 2 to 3 branched many flowered inflorescence with flowers carrying an obscurely 3 lobed lip, rhombic in outline as long as wide, sessile with callus at the base.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko etal 2015 drawing fide;
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