Habenaria rhopalostigma Rolfe ex Kraenzl. 1898 SECTION Diphyllae Kraenzl.
Photo by © N Wightman and the Flora of Caprivi Website
Photo courtesy of © Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz
Drawing by © Margonska 2010
Common Name The Club-Shaped Stigma Habenaria
Flower Size 2" [5 cm]
Found in Zaire, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia in in woodlands at elevations around 1200 to 1350 meters as a medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with an ellipsoid to ovoid, densely tomentose tuber giving rise to an erect, stem carrying a single basal, adpressed to the ground, orbicular to reniform, rounded to apiculate, cordate basally, rather fleshy leaves and 3 to 6, loose, more or less sheathing leaves that blooms in the summer on a .8 to 1.6" [2 to 4 cm] long, 3 to 6 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying close set flowers.
This species is the only orchid of the section with a single basal leaf. Similar to H armatissimum but the petals are very different.
Synonyms Arachnaria rhopalostigma (Rolfe ex Kraenzl.) Szlach. 2006; Habenaria nephrophylla Schltr.1915
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Orchid. Gen. Sp. 1: 342 Rolfe ex Kraenzlin 1898
Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 507 Schlechter 1915 as H nephrophylla
Bulletin of Misc Info RBG No 9: 489 Summerhayes 1939
Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;
The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing/photo fide;
Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orhidaceae Premeir parte Geerink 1984;
Flora Zambesiaca Volume 11 Part one Pope 1998; Orchidee (Hamburg) 57: 48 Szlach 2006 as Arachnaria rhopalostigma
Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1: 252 Szlatchecko etal 2010 as Arachnaria rhopalostigma drawing fide
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