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Unranked:

ORCHIDACEAE

Acrolophia

Pfitzer

Source:

SSA

Synonym(s):

Eulophia R.Br. sect. Desciscentes Lindl.: 184 (1833).

Description:

Terrestrial herbs, with thick roots with prominent velamen. Leaves distichous, coriaceous, persistent. Inflorescences terminal, panicles or racemes; flowers resupinate or not, maroon, brown or green, lip often yellow or white; bracts small. Sepals subequal, free, subconnivent or spreading. Petals similar to sepals. Lip 3-lobed or entire, saccate or spurred at base; disc variously papillose or crested. Gynostemium: anther terminal, operculate, often 2-horned; pollinia 4, united in pairs; stigma in cavity below rostellum. Capsule ovoid or oblong, with thickened angles.

Distribution:

Species 7, Zululand (KwaZulu-Natal) to Western Cape.

Acampe

Lindl.

Source:

SSA

Description:

Epiphytic monopodial herbs. Stems short or somewhat elongate, not thickened into pseudobulbs, leafy. Leaves distichous, spreading, coriaceous, fleshy, articulated to persistent sheath. Inflorescences lateral, racemose, corymbose or paniculate, shorter than leaves; flowers not resupinate, fleshy, small or medium-sized, yellow barred with red, with white lip; bracts small and scale-like. Sepals subequal, free, sometimes fleshy. Petals similar to sepals. Lip basally adnate to gynostemium, saccate or spurred at base, fleshy; disc smooth or with small appendage. Gynostemium short, broad; anther operculate, incumbent; pollinia 4, subglobose, united in pairs, attached by slender stipe to viscidium. Capsule ribbed. x= 19 (18).

Distribution:

Species 10, Old World tropics, mainly Asia; 1 in sthn Afr.: Acampe pachyglossa Rchb.f., Mpumalanga, Swaziland, and KwaZulu-Natal.

Taeniophyllum

Blume

Description:

Very small leafless epiphytic herbs with short, simple stems; roots abundant, photosynthetic. Inflorescence axillary, racemose. Flowers resupinate,

Distribution:

Species

Source:

SSTA

Summerhayesia

P.J.Cribb

Description:

Epiphytic monopodial herbs; stems short, leafy; roots arising at stem base. Leaves distichous, conduplicate, linear or ligulate. Inflorescences arising in leaf axils, many-flowered. Flowers rather fleshy, white or creamy-yellow. Sepals and petals subsimilar. Lip entire, concave, clasping column, spurred at base. Column short, stout; androclinium transverse; anther convex; pollinia 2; stipe 1, short; viscidium slipper-shaped; rostellum 3-lobed, mid-lobe acute, lateral lobes obscure.

Distribution:

Species 3, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Summerhayesia zambesiaca P.J.Cribb, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi.

Source:

SSTA

Stolzia

Schltr.

Description:

Dwarf, mat-forming epiphytic herbs, rarely lithophytic; stems creeping, bearing pseudobulbs. Pseudobulbs asymmetrical ovoid, fusiform or clavate, 1- or 2-leaved at apex. Leaves fleshy or leathery, spreading or erect. Inflorescence terminal on pseudobulb, erect, 1- to many-flowered. Flowers

Distribution:

Species

Source:

SSTA

Schwartzkopffia

Kraenzl.

Description:

Terrestrial herbs only a few centimeters tall, leafless and lacking in chlorophyll. Roots thick, fleshy. Stem short, covered with imbricate sheaths. Flowers 1

Distribution:

Species 2, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 2, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique.

Source:

SSTA

Roeperocharis

Rchb.f.

Description:

Terrestrial herbs with tuberous roots, leafy stem and terminal inflorescence. Flowers green; sepals and petals free. Lip free, 3-lobed (rarely entire), with cylindrical spur. Column erect; anther thecae divergent, separated by a broad connective; canals hardly developed; pollinaria 2, each with a sectile pollinium, long caudicle and small viscidium. Stigmatic processes each 2-lobed with one lobe projecting down in front of lip-base, the other lobe upright in front of anther connective. Rostellum 3-lobed, mid-lobe low, rounded or emarginate, adnate to connective; side lobes spreading, narrowed towards apex.

Distribution:

Species 5, eastern Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 2, Zambia, Malawi.

Source:

SSTA

Pteroglossaspis

Rchb.f.

Description:

Terrestrial, sympodial herbs. Stem subterranean, made up of a chain of fleshy, lobed tubers. Leaves 1

Distribution:

Species 7, 5 in tropical and subtrop. Africa, 2 in the New World; sthn trop. Afr. 4, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.

Source:

SSTA

Podangis

Schltr.

Description:

Epiphytic, entirely glabrous herbs; stem usually abbreviated, erect. Leaves iris-like, equitant, fleshy, with imbricate bases. Inflorescence an axillary, open, subumbellate raceme shorter than leaves; bracts small, scarious. Flowers resupinate, narrow, medium-sized. Ovary narrowly long-pedicellate. Sepals and petals free, spreading; petals slightly shorter. Lip orbicular, with a long narrowly conical spur inflated and often bilobed at apex. Gynostemium short, with a foot; rostellum narrow, bifid; anther terminal; pollinia 2, globose, each with a narrow stipe; viscidium solitary, relatively large.

Distribution:

Monotypic: Podangis dactyloceras (Rchb.f.) Schltr ., trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr.: Angola.

Source:

SSTA

Platycoryne

Rchb.f.

Description:

Terrestrial herbs with fleshy or tuberous roots and leafy, unbranched stems. Flowers resupinate, usually yellow, orange or greenish, rarely white, often in short, dense heads. Sepals free, dorsal sepal forming a hood with petals. Lip entire or 3-lobed, spurred. Column erect; anther erect with parallel locules, canals adnate to side lobes of rostellum. Rostellum large, usually placed in front of anther which is often overtopped by mid-lobe; lateral lobes porrect, usually projecting beyond hood but sometimes short and shoulder-like. Stigmatic processes thickened with rounded ends.

Distribution:

Species 20

Source:

SSTA

GATEWAY TO AFRICAN PLANTS

Un outil dicisif vers l'identification des plantes africaines

ORCHIDACEAE

Acrolophia

Acampe

Taeniophyllum

Summerhayesia

Stolzia

Schwartzkopffia

Roeperocharis

Pteroglossaspis

Podangis

Platycoryne

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ORCHIDACEAE

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