Polystachya villosa Rolfe

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Polystachya

Characteristics

A large epiphytic or lithophytic plant to 20 cm. high.. Pseudobulbs clustered, fusiform to conical, several-noded, 3.5–4 cm. long, 1.3–1.5 cm. wide, 3–4-leaved towards apex, drying glossy yellow or orange.. Leaves oblanceolate or oblong-ligulate, to 18 cm. long, 2.5 cm. wide, rounded at apex.. Inflorescence erect, to 15 cm. high, villose; flowers clustered towards apex; bracts broadly ovate, acuminate, 9–12 mm. long, 4.5 mm. wide, villous.. Flowers very villous outside; sepals pale cream or whitish green, lip white with minute purple spots on the disc and a light yellow line in the basal half.. Dorsal sepal ovate, acuminate, 7.5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide; lateral sepals obliquely lanceolate, acuminate, to 9.5 mm. long, 4.5 mm. wide.. Petals oblong-lanceolate, 6 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, acute.. Lip recurved, 3-lobed, 5 mm. long, 3.6 mm. wide; side lobes erect, rounded, mid-lobe bullate, acute or acuminate, 2.7 mm. long and wide; disc glabrous or papillate with a scarcely apparent callus between the side lobes.
More
Lip recurved, fleshy, hard to flatten, 6–8 × 3.5–4 mm, 3-lobed at about halfway, with a small glabrous callus at the junction of the lobes; mid-lobe 2–3.5 × 3 mm, broadly ovate, acute or acuminate, bullate; side lobes erect, rounded.
Dorsal sepal 7–10 × 3–4 mm, ovate, acuminate; lateral sepals 8.5–13 × 4–7 mm, obliquely triangular, acuminate, slightly keeled on the outside; mentum 3–4 mm high, rounded.
Inflorescence (floral axis) produced at the same time as the new leaves, 10–20 cm tall, densely pubescent, densely several-to many-flowered.
Flowers primrose-scented, greenish-white or occasionally yellowish, villous on the outside; the lip white with purple spotting on the disk.
Pseudobulbs 3–5 × 1–1.5 cm, oblong or conical, slightly bilaterally flattened, ribbed, with 2 nodes, yellow, 3–4-leaved.
Leaves 6–18 × 1.4–2.8 cm, broadly oblanceolate to ligulate, drying yellow or orange.
Bracts 9–15 × 4–7 mm, broadly ovate, acuminate, villous.
A fairly robust epiphytic herb, rarely lithophytic.
Petals 5.5–7 × 1.2–2 mm, oblanceolate.
Pedicel and ovary 9 mm long.
Column c. 1.5 mm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support epiphyte
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 0.1 - 0.2
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Environment

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Usage

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Edible -
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Polystachya villosa world distribution map, present in Tanzania, United Republic of and Zambia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:654580-1
WFO ID wfo-0000280682
COL ID 786SJ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Polystachya villosa