Habenaria polyschista Schltr. 1905 SECTION Medusaeformes
Drawing by © Howcroft
TYPE Drawing by © Schlechter
Drawing by © Renz and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria
Common Name The Many Cleft Habenaria [Refers to the lip]
Flower Size .72" [1.8 cm]
Found in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in primary rainforests at elevations around 650 to 1000 meters as a large to giant sized, warm growing terrestrial with an eret stem carrying basal, suberect, lanceolate, acute, basally clasping leaves that blooms in the fall on an erect, terminal, to 24" [60 cm] long, many flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, acuminate, as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying pale green with a yellow lip and spurred flowers.
"Habenaria polyschista can be easily distinguished from other Habenaria species reported from New Guinea by having numerous filiform outgrowths along both margins of the lateral lobes of the lip as well as on the anterior petal lobe giving them a feather-like appearance." Kolanowska etal 2021
Synonyms Habenaria ramosa R.S.Rogers & C.T.White 1920
References W3 Tropicos,Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Fl. Schutzgeb. Südsee, Nachtr.: 80 Schlechter 1905
The Orchidaceae of German New Guinea: 67 Schlechter 1912
The Orchidaceae of German New Guinea: 76 Schlechter 1912drawing fide;
Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. South Australia 44: 117 R.S.Rogers & C.T.White 1920 as H ramosa;
A Guide to the Monocotyledons of Papua New Guinea Part 4 Orchidaceae [in Part] Howcroft 1984 drawing;
Orchids of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Lewis & Cribb 1991 drawing fide;
Checklist of Papusian Orchids Ormerod 2017;
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