Habenaria rangatensis M.C.Naik & K.Prasad 2020 SECTION Diphyllae
Photos by © M. Chennakesavulu Naik and Phytotaxa 442: 28 M.C.Naik & K.Prasad 2020
LATE
EARLY 
Common Name The Rangat Hills Habenaria [Of The middle Andaman Islands]
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm] long
Found in stunted evergreen forest on the open hill slopes along granite rocks with small amounts of soil deposits at el;evations of 100 to 400 meters as a small sized, hot growing terrestrial with 1 to 2, ellipsoid to elliptic obovoid, densesly pubescent tubers giving rise to an erect, short stem enveloped by foliaceous sheaths and carrying 1 to 3, clustered at the base of the stem and spreading on the ground, glabrous, membraneous, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, to broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate to obovate, acute, entire margins, sessile leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on an erect, 4.8 to 7.2" [12 to 18 cm long overall, glabrous, peduncle slender, terete, covered throughout with pale green, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate at the apex sterile bracts, rachis laxly 2 to 5 flowered inflorescence with pale green, ovate-lanceolate to broadly lanceoalte, acuminate, shorter tha the ovary floral bracts and carrying white, glabrous flowers.
" The new species, Habenaria rangatensis is closely allied to H. acuifera , but differs in having clustered leaves at base of the stem and spreading on the ground (vs. cauline and scattered in the lower half of the stem in H. acuifera), white flowers (vs. generally yellow or yellow to greenish-yellow, rarely white or orange flowers in H. acuifera), bipartite petals (vs. entire petals in H. acuifera), lip 3-lobed little above the base, basal region with small triangular appendages (vs. 3-lobed to the base, without appendages in H. acuifera), lateral lobes slightly shorter than the midlobe (vs. lateral lobes less than half the length of the midlobe in H. acuifera), spur longer than the ovary, without any collar in front of mouth entrance (vs. shorter than the ovary, with prominent collar in front of mouth entrance in H. acuifera). The new species also share similarities with Habenaria diphylla and H. porphyricola but differs in having white flowers, bipartite petals and the basal region of lip with small triangular appendages (vs. greenish-white flowers, entire petals and basal region of lip without any appendages in H. diphylla & H. porphyricola)." M.C.Naik & K.Prasad 2020
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Phytotaxa 442: 28 M.C.Naik & K.Prasad 2020 Drawing/ photo fide
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