Habenaria edgarii Summerh.

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Habenaria

Characteristics

A terrestrial herb 3–6.5 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots.. Tubers ovoid or ellipsoid-fusiform, 2.5–5 cm. long, 1.5–2 cm. in diameter, tomentose.. Stem erect, stout, terete, with 2 large leaves at the base and 6–11 smaller and narrower ones along its length.. Basal leaves adpressed to the ground, opposite, suborbicular or transversely elliptical, apiculate or rounded, shortly sheathing at the base, 3–3.5 cm. long, 3–5.5 cm. broad; stem-leaves up to 4.5 cm. long and 2.5 cm. broad.. Inflorescence 15–25 cm. long, loosely 2–4-flowered.. Bracts similar to stem-leaves, 3.5 cm. long, shorter than pedicel with ovary.. Flowers erect, pale olive-green and creamy-white; pedicel 3.5–6 cm. long, slender; ovary slightly curved, 2–3 cm. long.. Dorsal sepal erect, concave, widely elliptical-lanceolate, acuminate, 2–2.8 cm. long, 8–13 mm. broad; laterals deflexed, obliquely semi-ovate, curved, acuminate, 2.5-3.5 cm. long, 7–10 mm. broad; all sepals trinerved, the middle nerve bearing a scabrous keel on the outside, olive-green.. Petals bipartite nearly to the base, pale cream or greenish-white; posterior (upper) lobe erect, almost erect or spreading, linear, acute, 2.5–3 cm. long, ± 2mm. broad, edges revolute; anterior lobe spreading, linear below, subulate above, 5–6.5 cm. long, 2 mm. wide at base.. Lip tripartite almost to base; middle lobe hanging down, linear-ligulate from a wide triangular base, acute, 3 cm. long, 2 mm. broad in the middle, pale olive-green; lateral lobes strongly divergent, linear towards base, subulate towards apex, 4–5 cm. long, ± 2 mm. broad at base, creamy or whitish-green.. Spur curving downwards among the stem-leaves, green, narrowly cylindrical, 15–25 cm. long, inflated to 3 mm. diameter at apex.. Anther erect, 1.3–1.4 cm. high, obtusely apiculate, loculi parallel, arching upwards, 8 mm. long, auricles tongue-like, erect, 3 mm. long, yellow.. Stigmatic arms stout, cylindrical, apex coiled, 11 mm. long.. Middle lobe of rostellum large, placed against the anther and ± equalling it in length, broadly triangular, apex narrow, abruptly recurved, densely papillose, 1 cm. long, gradually merging into lateral lobes.
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Lip 3-lobed to c. 2 mm from base; mid-lobe pendent, 30–40 × 2 mm, linear; side lobes divergent, 40–55 mm long, 2 mm wide at base, tapering to become subulate; spur 14–25 cm long, pendent, tucked into bracts; slender but swollen to c. 3 mm in diameter near apex, but tapering at tip.
Dorsal sepal erect, 20–30 × 7–11 mm, elliptic; lateral sepals deflexed, 24–35 × 7–10 mm, obliquely semi-ovate, acuminate; all sepals 3-nerved, the middle nerve with a scabrous keel.
Petals 2-lobed ± to base; posterior lobe erect or spreading, 24–33 × c. 2 mm, linear; anterior lobe spreading, 40–60 mm long, c. 1 mm wide at base, becoming subulate.
Basal leaves appressed to ground, the larger 3–5 × 4–7 cm, reniform, apiculate or rounded; sheathing stem-leaves c. 5 cm long.
Terrestrial herb 30–65 cm tall; tubers up to 5.5 cm long, ovoid or ellipsoid, tomentose.
Stem erect, with 2 basal leaves and many loosely sheathing stem-leaves.
Inflorescence laxly 2–4-flowered; bracts 40–50 mm long.
Stigmatic arms 8–11 mm long, stout, coiled at apex.
Flowers erect, sepals green, petals and lip white.
Anther erect, 13–14 mm high; canals 6–7 mm long.
Pedicel 35–60 mm long, ovary 25–30 mm long.
Auricles c. 3 mm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.3 - 0.65
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
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Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

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

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
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Distribution

Habenaria edgarii world distribution map, present in Tanzania, United Republic of and Zambia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:637192-1
WFO ID wfo-0000977541
COL ID 3J3T9
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Arachnaria edgarii Habenaria edgarii