Polystachya bequaertii Summerh. 1947 publ. 1948SECTION Dendrobianthae

Collection sheet and Drawings by © Summerhayes and the Kew's Plants of the World Website

Common Name Bequaert's Polystachya

Flower Size

Found in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone at elevations around 500 to 1200 meters as a warm to cool growing terrestrial or lithophyte with close set, basaL, conic-ovoid, thin above pseudobulbs carrying at least 1, linear, conduplicate leaves that blooms in the winter on an erect, terminal, racemose to 4 branched, 2.8" [7 cm] long, all along the stem, to 20 flowered inflorescence

"Similar to Polystachya dendrobiiflora Rchb.f. 1881 but differs in the inflorescences, the branches are much longer, the flowers are looser, the labellum is narrower at the base, almost briefly unguiculated above, obscurely trilobed, furnished with longer hairs. The species is especially carrying interesting because it shows the close affinity between the two sections Dendrobianthe and Isochiloideae. In its precocious habit and glabrous delicate flowers P. bequaertii agrees with the former section but the lip is obscurely trilobed just above the middle and is definitely narrowed at the base forming an indistinct claw, in both respects approaching sect. Isochiloideae. The laxer inflorescence branches separate it at once from all other species of Dendrobianthe and in this character also the affinity with the other section is indicated. The occurrence of a species of either section in West Africa is of considerable interest as they are both only known from the eastern and southern tropical parts of the continent. This discovery is yet another indication of our ignorance of the African flora." Summerhayes 1947/8

Synonyms Dendrobianthe bequaertii (Summerh.) Mytnik 2008

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 2: 131 Summerhayes 1947 publ. 1948

Richardiana 8: 26 Mytnik 2008 as Dendrobianthe bequaertii

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