Platycoryne crocea Rolfe 1898 Photo courtesy of © Herbier Philatélique Pierre Guertin Philatelic Herbarium

LATE

Common Name The Saffron-Yellow Platycoryne

Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]

Found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Burundi, Congo, Zaire, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania , Zambia, Malawi, Angola and Zimbabwe in grassy areas in shallow soil over rocks and lava projections at elevations of 1200 to 2350 meters as a miniature to medium sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial with a stem carrying a tuft of leaves at the base and several more along the length shaped as linear to linear-lanceolate lower and towards the apex, more or less adpressed to the stem, lanceolate, acute shorter than the basal ones that blooms in the late spring through summer on an erect, 2 to 3.5 cm] long, densely 2 to 9 flowered inflroescence with lanceolate floral bracts that are shorter than the pedicel.

Synonyms Habenaria crocea Schweinf. ex Rchb.f. 1878; Habenaria elegantula Kraenzl.1914; Habenaria montis-elgon Schltr. 1922; Habenaria ochrantha Schltr. 1915; Platycoryne crocea subsp. elegantula (Kraenzl.) Summerh. 1964; Platycoryne crocea subsp. montis-elgon (Schltr.) Summerh.1964; Platycoryne crocea subsp. ochrantha (Schltr.) Summerh. 1964; Platycoryne elegantula (Kraenzl.) Summerh. in J.Hutchinson & J.M.Dalziel 1936; Platycoryne heterophylla Summerh. 1958; Platycoryne montis-elgon (Schltr.) Summerh. 1932; Platycoryne ochrantha (Schltr.) Summerh. 1947 publ. 1948;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Otia Botanica Hamburgensia Rchb.f 1878 as Habenaria crocea; Flora of Tropical East Africa Summerhayes 1968 drawing fide; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing ok; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 as P heterophylla ; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995; Field Guide to the Ethiopian Orchids Demissew, Cribb and Rasmussen 2004 photos fide;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------