Habenaria epipactidea Rchb.f. 1867 SECTION Commelynifoliae Kraenzl. 1892
Photos by © Lourens Grobler
Plant and Flowers in situ Cape Province South Africa
Photos by © Cameron McMasters
LATE 
Common Name The Epipactis-Like Habenaria
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Cape Province and Transvaal South Africa in short grasslands at 900 to 1150 meters as a small to medium sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial with suberect, lanceolate, broadly lanceolate to oblong, rounded to acute leaves that are gradually getting smaller ascending, and blooms in the late spring and summer on a terminal, bracteate, 2.4 to 6.4" [6 to 16 cm] long, dense, many flowered inflorescence with rather thick, nocturnally sweetly scented, flowers
The Zulus use the roots of this species and Ansella africana to make a tea that functions as an emetic.
Synonyms Bonatea foliosa (Sw.) Lindl 1835; Bonatea foliosa var. pauciflora Sond. 1846; Habenaria epipactidea var. schinzii (Rolfe) Kraenzl. 1911; Habenaria foliosa (Sw.) Rchb.f. 1865; Habenaria foliosa var. epipactidea (Rchb.f.) Rendle 1904; Habenaria hircina Rchb.f. 1867; Habenaria perfoliata Kraenzl. 1902; Habenaria polyphylla Kraenzl. 1893; Habenaria rautanenii Kraenzl. 1904; Habenaria schinzii Rolfe 1898; Habenaria trachychila Kraenzl. 1904; Habenella epipactidea (Rchb.f.) Szlach. & Kras-Lap. 2006; Orchis foliosa Sw. 1800; Platantheroides epipactidea (Rchb.f.) Szlach. 2004; Platycoryne rautanenii (Kraenzl.) Szlach. & Olszewski 1998; (Rchb.f.) Szlach. 2005; Platycorynoides hircina (Rchb.f.) Szlach. 2005; Platycorynoides rautanenii (Kraenzl.) Szlach. 2005
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 21: 206 Sw 1800 as Orchid foliosa;
Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 329 Lindley 1835 as Bonatea foliosa
Linnaea 19: 82 Sond. 1846 as Bonatea foliosa var. pauciflora
Flora 48: 180 Rchb.f 1865 as Habenaria foliosa nom. illeg.
Flora 50: 100 Rchb.f 1867 as H hircina
Fl. Trop. Afr. 7: 219 Rolfe 1898 as H schinzii;
Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 16: 214 Kraenzlin 1892 as H polyphylla
Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 2: 942 Kraenzlin 1902 as H perfoliata
Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 4: 1008 Kraenzlin 1904 as H rautanenii
Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 4: 1007 Kraenzlin 1904 as H trachychila;
J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 37: 221 Rendle 1904 as H foliosa var. epipactidea
Vierteljahrsschr. Naturf. Ges. Zürich 56: 106 Kraenzlin 1911 as Habenaria epipactidea var. schinzii
AOS Bulletin Vol 28 No 4 1959 as H foliosa;
AOS Bulletin Vol 47 No 6 1978 as H foliosa;
Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide;
Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;
Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide;
Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orhidaceae Premeir parte Geerink 1984 drawing fide;
Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995;
Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996 photo fide;
Fl. Cameroun 34: 200 Szlach. & Olszewski 1998 as Platycoryne rautanenii
Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 photo fide;
Field Guide to the Ethiopian Orchids Demissew, Cribb & Rasmussen 2004 photo fide;
Richardiana 4: 106 Szlach 2004 as Platantheroides epipactidea
Orchidee (Hamburg) 56: 207 Szlach 2005 as Platycorynoides epipactidea;
Orchidee (Hamburg) 56: 207 Szlach 2005 as Platycorynoides hircina
Orchidee (Hamburg) 56: 207 Szlach 2005 as Platycoryne rautanenii
Richardiana 6: 35 Szlach. & Kras-Lap 2006 as Habenella epipactidea
Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photos fide;
Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1 Szlatchecko etal 2010 as Platycorynoides hircina drawing fide;
Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1 Szlatchecko etal 2010 as Platycorynoides epipactidea drawing fide;
Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1 Szlatchecko etal 2010 as Platycorynoides rautanenii drawing fide;
The Cape Orchids Vol 1 Liltved & Johnson 2012 photos fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 77 #3 2013 photo fide;
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