Habenaria tysonii Bolus 1889 SECTION Diphyllae

Flower Closeup

Photos by © Cameron & Rhoda McMaster and their African Bulbs - South African Orchid Page

TYPE Drawing

TYPE Drawing by © Harry Bolus

LATE EARLY

Common Name Tyson's Habenaria [Original Collector of species 1800's]

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Zimbabwe, Cape Province, Natal, and Transvaal states of South Africa in grass on rocky hillsides in full sun at elevations of 1000 to 1800 meters as a small sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with 2 broadly ovate to orbicular, radical, somewhat succulent leaves that blooms in the late spring and early summer on an erect, terminal, to 12" [to 30 cm] long, lax, 10 to 50 flowered inflorescence with somewhat shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying flowers with ciliate margins of the dorsal sepal and the petals.

Many photos on the net are incorrect as they depict flowers without the ciliate margins of the dorsal sepal and petals.

Synonyms *Orthochilus welwitschii Rchb.f. 1865

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 25: 166 Bolus 1889

J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 25: 167 Bolus 1889TYPE drawing fide

Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo not - no ciliate margins to the dorsal sepal and petals;

Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 drawing/photo not - no ciliate margins to the dorsal sepal and petals;

Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008 photos not - no ciliate margins to the dorsal sepal and petals;

Terrestrial African Orchids, A select Review John S. Ball 2009 drawing not - no ciliate margins to the dorsal sepal and petals;

Orchid Digest Vol 77 #3 2013 photo fide;

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