Habenaria thomana Rchb.f. 1881 SECTION Pentaceras

Drawings by © Margonska and Kowalkowska

Common Name The Sao Thome Habenaria

Flower Size

Found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome & Prinipe in primary and secondary submontane forests at eleations of 50 to 1600 meters as a medium sized, hot to cool growing terrstrial with a short, fleshy rhizome gving rise to an erect, slender, glabrous stem carrying in a basal rosette, narrow, obovate to lanceolate, acute to acuminate, spread petiolate base leaves and going upwards 3 to 4, adpressed to the stem, ovate-lanceolate, acute, glabrous cauline sheaths, that blooms in the summer and fall on an erect, terminal, 3.6 to 10" [9 to 25 cm] long,very lax, 10 to 30 flowered inflorescence with ovate-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, shorter below to longer above floral bracts.

This is the only species in the SECTION Pentaceras with a short rhizome instead of tubers." Szlach etal 2010

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Otia Bot. Hamburg.: 97 Rchb.f 1881

Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1: 152 Szlach etal 2010

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