Angraecum conchiferum Lindl. 1836 SECTION Arachnangraecum Schlechter

Photo by © Lourens Grobler

Plant and Flowers in situ Madagascar

Photo by © E Tanner

Common Name The Shell-Like Lip Angraecum

Flower Size 1.6 to 2.4" [4 to 6 cm]

Found in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Cape Province, Natal and Transvaal South Africa in forest on isolated hills and mountains at elevations of 800 to 2400 meters as a small to just medium sized, warm to cold growing epiphyte with flattened roots with a rough warty surface, a flattened often branching stem enveloped by overlapping, black spotted leaf sheaths and carrying 2 ranked, towards the apex, linear, unequally bilobed apically, often held in one plane leaves that blooms in the spring on a slender, opposite the leaf, 1 to 1.1" [2.5 to 2.7 cm], 1 to 2 flowered inflorescence with nonresupinate, nocturnally jasmine scented flowers

"The leaves in this species are appreciably smaller than in any other mainland representative of this section, being up to 3.2" [8 cm] long, and less than .4" [1 cm] wide, often much narrpwer. The inflorescnece are not infrequently 2 flowered, a feature not usual in this section but occasionally occuring in other species. The species is clearly allied with A ramosum but the leaves are longer and narrower amnd the flowers smaller." Summerhayes 1958

Synonyms Angorchis conchifera (Lindl.) Kuntze 1891; Angraecum scabripes Kraenzl. 1902; Angraecum verrucosum Rendle 1895; Arachnangraecum conchiferum (Lindl.) Szlach., Mytnik & Grochocka 2013; Mystacidium verrucosum (Rendle) Rolfe 1897

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Kew Bull. 13: 276 Summerhayes 1958

Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968 photo good;

The Epiphytic Orchids of Malawi Morris 1970;

Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo fide;

Malawi Orchids Vol 1 La Croix 1983 drawing fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 8 1984 photo fide;

Die Orchideen lieferung 16/17/18 Schlechter/Brieger 1986;

An Introduction to the Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar Hillerman & Holst 1986;

Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989 photo fide;

Orchids of Kenya Stwart & Campbell 1996 photo fide;

African Orchids in the wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997 drawing fide;

Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 2 Pope 1998 drawing/photo fide;

Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 drawing/photo fide;

Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans & Campbell 2006;

Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008;

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