Habenaria stenoceras Summerh. 1957 SECTION Diphyllae

Drawing and Collection sheet courtesy of Kew's Plants of the World Website

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Common Name The Narrow Horned Habenaria

Flower Size

Found in Zaire, Cameroon and the Central African Republic grassy savannahs and marshgrass on sand at elevations of 100 to 300 meters as a small to medium sized, hot growing terrestrial with a tuber with the exposed parts glabrous giving rise to a single, basal, adpressed to the ground, suborbicular, transversimently elliptic, apiculate leaf that blooms in the late spring on an erect, 10 to 14" [25 to 35 cm] long overall, rachis 4 to 8" [10 to 20 cm] long, lax, 4 to 10 flowered inflorescence with as long as the ovary floral bracts below and carrying non-resupinate flowers.

" This species belongs to that group in sect. Diphyllae in which the petals are entire. It has, however, a considerably longer spur than any of other species so far described. In general floral structure tthe species lies between species like H. vaginata in which the flowers are smaller and the spur shorter and species belonging to other groups within the section, such as H. macrura, in which, however, the petals bifid. Our species resembles most closely H leyli from Northern Nigeria but that has a shorter and differewntly shaped spur and differs in other minor floral characters." Summerhayes 1957

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 12: 110 Summerhayes 1957

Flore D'Afrique Centrale [Zaire- Rwands - Burundi] Orhidaceae Premeir parte Geerink 1984;

Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1: 133 Szlach etal 2010 drawing fide

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