Bonatea volkensiana Rolfe

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Bonatea

Characteristics

A terrestrial herb 2–7 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots.. Tubers several, spreading, irregularly cylindrical or fusiform, 4.5–6.5 cm. long, ± 1 cm. in diameter, tomentose.. Stem erect, slender to rather stout, leafy throughout its length, up to 5 mm. in diameter near the base.. Leaves 10–16, the lowest 2 sheath-like, the middle ones ± spreading or suberect, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute, the largest 6–11 cm. long and 2–4 cm. broad, the uppermost 1–3 much smaller, similar to the bracts.. Inflorescence cylindrical, 4–18 cm. long, 6–11 cm. in diameter, rather densely 3–26-flowered.. Bracts thinner in texture than the leaves, lanceolate, acuminate, 1–3 cm. long, usually much shorter than the pedicel with ovary.. Flowers spreading, green or green and white; pedicel with ovary nearly straight, 3–4 cm. long.. Dorsal sepal erect, very convex, elliptical-lanceolate, acuminate, 1.4–2.3 cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. broad; laterals deflexed, very obliquely obovate or oblanceolate, acuminate, the apex somewhat lateral, 1.4–2.4 cm. long, 8–12 mm. broad, the upper margin adnate for 4–7 mm. to the claw of the lip and the stigmatic arm.. Petals bipartite nearly to the base; posterior (upper) lobe erect, adherent to the dorsal sepal, linear, 1.2–2.1 cm. long, 1.5–2 mm. broad; anterior lobe narrowly linear, adnate at the base for 4–7 mm. to the lip and stigmatic arms, apical part curved upwards and outwards, altogether 2.5–4.5 cm. long, ± 1 mm. broad.. Lip projecting forwards, tripartite from a narrow basal part (claw) 1–1.5 cm. long; middle lobe linear, 1.5–3 cm. long, 1–3 mm. broad; side lobes diverging, narrower, 2–4.5 cm. long.. Spur dependent, cylindrical with the apical half somewhat swollen, 3–4.5 cm. long.. Column erect, apiculate, 6–8.5 mm. high, loculi parallel, canals slender, porrect, 8–12 mm. long.. Stigmatic arms projecting forwards, 1.3–1.7 cm. long, the lower part adnate to the lip, the free part 6.5–11 mm. long, club-shaped.. Rostellum placed in front of the anther, 3-lobed, the middle lobe hooded, with ciliolate margins, ± 4 mm. long from the base, the side lobes slender, porrect, 5–7.5 mm. long.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.2 - 0.7
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Bonatea volkensiana world distribution map, present in Kenya and Tanzania, United Republic of

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:617884-1
WFO ID wfo-0000350081
COL ID MH7L
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Habenaria volkensiana Bonatea volkensiana