Diaphananthe lorifolia Summerh. 1956 Photo by © Kjell Nilsson

LATER

Common Name or Meaning The Lorate Leafed Diaphananthe

Flower Size 3/4" [1.8 cm]

Found in Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda in montane and riverine forests at elevations of 1000 to 2200 meters as a small sized, cool growing epiphyte with a long, pendant stem carrying 2 rows of falcate, linear, unequally and obtusely bilobed apically, basally twisted so all in one plane leaves that blooms in the later spring on a pendant, 3 to 6" [7.5 to 15 cm] long, shorter than the leaves, 5 to 15 flowered inflorescence carrying fragrant flowers.

"The flowers of D divitiflora are about the same size as in D. lorifolia but in D divitiflora but the labellum is distinctly longer than broad and the lamina is always longer than the spur. In D. lorifolia the leaves are narrower, and markedly strap-shaped with almost parallel sides. The labellum is usually, and often much, broader than long, often roughly pentagonal in outline so that the front is considerably narrower than the base, while the spur is usually distinctly longer than the lamina though sometimes it may be about the same length." Summerhayes 1956

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Kew Bull. 11: 235 Summerhayes 1956

Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968;

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

Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 3 Cribb 1989;

Orchids of Kenya Stewart & Campbell 1996;

Angraecoid Orchids Hermans, Stewart and Campbell 2006 photo ok

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