Habenaria nicholsonii Rolfe 1898 SECTION Diphyllae
Photo/Drawing © by Graham Williamson
EARLY
Common Name Nicholson's Habenaria [English Original Collector of species later 1800's]
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in southern Zaire and Zambia in brachystegia woodlands on wet drainage areas at elevations around 1200 meters as a medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with a slender stem carrying 2 basal, adpressed to the ground, orbicular, cordate below into the base leaves and scattered along the stem, about 6, sheath-like leaves that blooms in the early summer on an erect, terminal, 4 to 6" [10 to 15 cm] long, lax, 3 to 8 flowered inflorescence carrying green and white flowers.
Said to be similar to H debeerstiana but it has a much shorter spur that is slightly swollen at the apex while H nicholsonii has a longer spur that is swollen in the apical half.
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Fl. Trop. Afr. 7: 571 Rolfe 1898
Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaeceae Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;
The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 photo/drawing fide;
Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orhidaceae
Flora of Zambia Vol 11 Part 1 Pope 1995;
Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1: 134 Szlatchecko etal 2010
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