Habenaria vaginata A.Rich. 1840 SECTION Diphyllae Kraenzl.

Photo courtesy of © Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz

Common Name The Vaginate Habenaria [refers to the acuminate sheath-like leaf]

Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]

Found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in short grasslands, in forests margins and in forest glades at elevations of 1300 to 3000 meters as a miniature to medium sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with an erect, slender to stout stem carrying 1 to 2, adpressed to the ground, reniform, orbicular to ovate, uppermost sheath-like, adpressed to the stem, lanceolate leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on an erect, 1.5 to 8" [4 to 20 cm] long, 6 to many flowered inflorescence with sheath-like, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and small flowers.

Synonyms Habenaria microcorys Hochst. ex Engl 1892

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 14: 269 A Rich 1840

Abh. Königl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1891: 183 Hochst. ex Engl. 1892 as Habenaria microcorys

Flora of Tropical East Africa Part 1 Summerhayes 1968;

Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968 photo good;

Orchids of Kenya Stewart and Campbell 1996 photos good;

Field Guide to the Ethiopian Orchids Demissew, Cribb & Rasmussen 2004 photo fide

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