Rhipidoglossum ovale (Summerh.) Garay 1972

Drawing by © M A Grierson/Cribb

Part shade Cold LATE Winter EARLY Spring

Common Name The Oval Rhipidoglossum

Flower Size .24" [6 mm]

Found in Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Uganda at elevations of 2100 to 2400 meters as a mini-miniature to small sized, cold growing epiphyte with a pendent stem carrying 2 to 10, in the upper part of the stem, flacate, linear, unequally bilobed at the obtuse apex, basaly twisted leaves that blooms in the late winter and early spring on 1 to several, .24 to .4" [.6 to 1 cm] long peduncle, 2 to 3.6" [5 to 9 cm] long, laxly to 20 flowered inflorescence with amplexicaul, conical, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying cream to buff colored flowers.

"This not very striking species with the petals being almost orbicular while the labellum is devoid of a tooth. It differs from both R rutila and R xanthopollinia, probably its nearest allies, in the shape of the labellum, which is more or less ovate and usually longer than broad though sometimes the length and breadth are about equal." Summerhayes 1962

Synonyms *Diaphananthe ovalis Summerh. 1962

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Kew Bull. 16: 313 Summerhayes 1962 as Diaphananthe ovalis

Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989 as Diaphananthe ovalis drawing fide;

Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans and Campbell 2006

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