Home | > | List of families | > | Orchidaceae | > | Habenaria | > | clavata |
Synonyms: |
Bonatea clavata Lindl. |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Terrestrial herb 20-80 cm tall with leaves along the stem. Leaves 8-13, lowermost sheath-like, middle ones suberect or spreading, ovate-lanceolate, 7-13 cm long, upper ones grading into bracts. Inflorescence 4-27 cm long, several to many flowered with bracts c. 3 cm long. Flowers pale green to yellowish-green, white in the centre. Dorsal sepal erect, 11-19 mm long; lateral sepals deflexed, 12-19 mm long, rolled lengthwise. Petals 2-lobed to the base; upper lobe filiform, 9-15 mm long, adnate to the dorsal sepal; upper lobe curving up and horn-like, 25-40 mm long. Lip 3-lobed with narrowly linear lobes; mid lobe 17-26 mm long, side lobes shorter, up to 21 mm long. Spur 3.5 cm long, parallel to ovary and pedicel, much swollen in the apical third. Stigmatic arms 8-13 mm long pointing forward. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | clavata: thickened at on end, club-shaped, which could refer either to the stigmatic arms or the spur. |
Habitat: | Brachystegia woodland, montane grassland and Mopane bushland. |
Altitude range: (metres) | 1000 - 1700 m |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | Nigeria, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | N,C,E,S |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Saturday 21 February 2015 |
Literature: |
Ball, J.S. (2009). Terrestrial African Orchids, A Selected Review. Pages 178 - 179. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 325. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 29. Fibeck, W. & Dare, M. (1993). Terrestrial Orchids in Zimbabwe. Excelsa 16 Page 63. Grosvenor, R.K. (1976). A list of orchids indigenous in Rhodesia. Excelsa 6 Page 83. La Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1995). Orchidaceae (Part 1) Flora Zambesiaca 11(1) Pages 116 - 117. La Croix, I. et al. (1991). Orchids of Malawi A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam Pages 81 - 82. (Includes a picture). Linder, H.P. & Kurzweil, H. (1999). Orchids of Southern Africa A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, the Netherlands ISBN 90-5410-445-7 Page 124. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 96. McMurtry, D., Grobler, L., Grobler, J. & Burns, S. (2008). Field Guide to the ORCHIDS of Northern South Africa and Swaziland Umdaus Press, PO Box 11059 Hatfield 0028 South Africa Pages 80 - 81. (Includes a picture). Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 121. Pooley, E. (1998). A Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. Natal Flora Publications Trust. Durban. Pages 516 - 517. (Includes a picture). Summerhayes, V.S. (1968). Orchidaceae (Part 1) Flora of Tropical East Africa Page 109. Williamson, G. (1977). The Orchids of South Central Africa J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., London. Pages 59 - 60. |
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