Habenaria lithophila Schltr.1915 SECTION Diphyllae Kraenzl 1892

Photo courtesy of © Lourens Grobler

Plant and Flowers in situ Photo courtesy of © Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz and their Website

Common Name The Rock-Loving Habenaria

Flower Size .6" [1.5cm]

Found in Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi, Lesotho, Cape Province Natal, Orange Free state and Transvaal South Africa in stoney ground grasslands at elevations of 800 to 2800 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing terrestrial with ellipsoid, tomentose tubers giving rise to an erect, slender to rather stout stem with 2 large, ovate to nearly reniform, apiculate to rounded, slightly cordate basally rather fleshy basal leaves and numerous [5 to 50] smaller and narrower, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acuminate adpressed to the stem upper leaves that blooms in the summer on a 1.6" to 5.6" long, densely 10 to 30 flowered inflorescence

Synonyms Habenaria arachnoides MacOwan ex Kraenzl. 1893; Habenaria bolusiana Schltr. 1924; Habenaria macowaniana Kraenzl. 1893; Habenaria petri Schltr. 1924

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide; Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 1 Summerhayes 1968; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008;

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