Platycoryne macroceras Summerhayes 1958

Drawing and collection sheet by © Kew's Plants of the World Website

LATER

Common Name or Meaning The Large Spurred Platycoryne

Flower Size

Found in Zaire and Zambia in dry grasslands and open dambo at elevations of 1500 to 1650 meters as a small to medium sized, cool growing terrestrial with ovoid, villous tubers giving rise to a stem carrying 3 to 6, al along the stem, linear to linear-lanceolate leaves that blooms in the later spring and summer on a terminal, erect, 1 rarely 2 flowered inflorescence with herbaceous, lanceoalte, acuminate, much shorter than the ovcary floral bracts and carrying erect-arcuate, white to rarely red colored flowers.

"This truly remarkable species is rather isolated in the genus, as, in addition to the large flowers and very long spur, the rostellum structure is somewhat atypical. The side lobes are hardly developed, the middle lobe consisting of a narrow ligulate upper part and a much widened lower part, the viscidia of the pollinia resting in slight incisions on each side at the very base of this widened part. Corresponding with this the anther canals are extremely short or, indeed, scarcely developed." Summerhayes 1958

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 13: 66 Summerhayes 1958

The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing fide;

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

Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceaea Part 1 Pope 1995;

Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 1: 172 Szlatchecko etal 2010 drawing fide

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