| Home | > | List of families | > | Orchidaceae | > | Habenaria | > | leucotricha |
| Synonyms: | |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | Rare |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Terrestrial herb up to 20 cm tall growing from an ellipsoid tuber c. 1-2 x 0.5-1 cm; stem erect, rather slender, with a single leaf at the base and a few sheaths at intervals, covered with spreading white hairs; leaf adpressed to the ground, orbicular, broadly orbicular or ovate-orbicular, obtuse or apiculate, cordate at the base, 2.5–4 cm. long, 2.7–6 cm. broad, glabrous beneath, with white scattered hairs on the upper surface, the margins ciliate, sometimes whitish with green reticulations; inflorescence 3–10 cm. long, rather closely 3–12-flowered, rhachis with spreading hairs; bracts lanceolate, very acute, 6–10 mm. long, hairy; flowers suberect or ± spreading, white or rarely yellow, pedicel with ovary 10–13 mm. long, densely hairy; dorsal sepal erect, elliptical, obtuse, convex, 8–12 mm. long, ± 5 mm. broad; laterals spreading, obliquely elliptical-lanceolate, acute, 9–11 mm. long, 3.5–4.5 mm. broad, all sepals hairy outside; petals 2-lobed nearly to the base, upper lobe erect, curved lanceolate-linear, acute, c. 8 x 1.75 mm, with a few cilia on the outer margin, lower lobe deflexed, linear, 8–12 x 0.5 mm, glabrous; lip 3-lobed from an undivided base c. 1 mm. long, glabrous; middle lobe deflexed, broadly linear, obtuse, 9.5–11 mm x 1.5–2 mm; side lobes curved upwards, usually a little longer than the middle lobe but only half as broad; spur abruptly incurved about the middle, the apical half swollen, 12–16.5 mm. long. Var. recticalcar differs from the other subspecies in having a straight or only slightly bent spur with an obtuse apex and side lobes of lip up to 14 mm long. |
| Type location: |
Zambia, Mbala |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | leucotricha: with white hairs recticalcar: with a straight spur. |
| Habitat: | Woodland on stony ground |
| Altitude range: | 1 m |
| Flowering time: | Jan - Feb |
| Worldwide distribution: | Zambia |
| Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca): | N,W |
| Zambian distribution (Provinces): | Cb,N |
| Growth form(s): | Terrestrial. |
| Endemic status: | Endemic |
| Red data list status: | Lower Risk - near threatened |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
La Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1995). Orchidaceae (Part 1) Flora Zambesiaca 11(1) Pages 140 - 142. La Croix, I.F. & Cribb, P.J. (1993). New taxa in Habenaria, Satyrium & Schizochilus (Orchidaceae) from the Flora Zambesiaca areaw Kew Bulletin 48(2) Page 361. Protologue Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 121. |
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