Holothrix papillosa Summerh 1960

Photo courtesy of JSTOR Plant Science Website

Drawing

Drawing by © Geerink

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Common Name The Tiny-Finger-Like Holothrix

Flower Size .214" [6 mm] long

Found in Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania in open montane grasslands and upland Brachystegia woodlands at elevations of 1680 to 2200 meters as a small sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with 2, adpressed to the ground, ovate to reniform, obtuse to apiculate, hirsute above leaves that blooms in the late summer on an erect, densely long hirsute, to 10" [to 25 cm] long, several to many flowered inflorescence

"This species, which appears to occur at rather high altitudes on a number of mountains in southern Tanzania and Malawi is evidently allied to H. nyasae. In fact the type gathering [Stolz 2608] was referred to H. nyasae by Schlechter (in Engl., Bot Jahrb. 53: 487 1915 ] under mistaken impression that in Rolfe's species the petals and labellum are glabrous. As a matter of fact they are longly ciliate and quite different in appearance from those in H. papillosa. The strongly papillose but otherwise glabrous petals and labellum in the latter species are evident under a hand-lens. The species differs also from H nyasae in the smaller flowers, the petals and apical half of the labe;llum densely asnddistinctrly papillose and not ciliate with a 5 to 7 lobed labellum." Summerhayes 1960

Synonyms Holothrix brachycheira Summerh.1960

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Kew Bull. 14: 127 Summerhayes 1960 as H brachycheira

*Kew Bull. 14: 128 Summerhayes 1960

Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;

The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing/photo fide;

The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 as H brachycheira;

Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orhidaceae Premeir parte Geerink 1984 drawing fide; P>Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 1 Pope 1995 photo fide;

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