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Ancistrochilus rothschildianus O'Brien, Gard. Chron. 41: 51 (1907).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Ancistrochilus hirsutissimus Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 51: 386 (1914).
Pachystoma rothschildianum Sander, Sander's Orch. Guide, ed. rev.,: 363 (1927).
Description:
Pseudobulbs up to 5 cm in diameter and tall, conical or pyriform. Leaves 2 on the top of pseudobulbs, petiolate; petiole up to 5 cm long, canaliculate, narrow; blade 10-20 (exceptionally up to 40) cm long, 2-5(7.5) cm wide, elliptic-lanceolate, lanceolate to oblanceolate, acute acuminate, plicate, thin. Inflorescence up to 10 cm long, laxly 1-3-flowered, axis densely pubescent with few bracts. Flowers medium-sized, resupinate, white to mauve, lip with a lot of dark mauve in which purple-colour is stained green and yellow; parfum agreable. Floral bract up to 10 mm long, ovate, obtuse to subacute, scarious, softly and densely pubescent outside. Pedicel and vary up to 30 mm long, slender, slightly arcuate : erect, densely pubescent. Tepals thin-textured. Dorsal sepal 18-30 mm long, 6.5-9 mm wide, oblong- to elliptic-lanceolate, acute, densely pubescent outside, with 7 unbranched nerves. Petals 17-27 mm long, 4.2-6.5 mm wide, obliquely oblong-lanceolate, subacute to acute usually 6-nerved. Lateral sepals slightly shorter than the dorsal one, obliquely elliptic-lanceolate to semi-elliptic, acute, densely pubescent outside, with 7 unbranched nerves. Lip distinctly 3-lobed, densely papillate on both surfaces, slightly saccate at the base, with 3-5 longitudinal thickenings in the centre; lateral lobes 5-6 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, oblong-ovate to elliptic, obtuse, upcurved in natural position; the middle lobe 8-12 mm long, to 2 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, acute, recurved in the apical half. Gynostemium 10-15 mm long, slender, slightly arcuate, column foot 3-5 mm long, densely pubescent on the ventral surface.
Habitat:
It is a rare epiphytic orchid of rainforests, usually growing at moderate heights near the coast. However, it is sometimes found inland, where its habitat extends eastward into the rainforests of central Uganda.
Flower time:
Rothschild's Ancistrochilus blooms in the winter, summer and fall.
Culture:
Read more of Cultural information Ancistrochilus rothschildianus O'Brien
Distribution:
W. Trop. Africa to Uganda
References:
Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; AOS Bulletin Vol 48 No 2 1979; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984; Simon & Schuster's Guide to Orchids; Miniature Orchids Northern 1988; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Laurent 1992; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchid Pridgeon 1992; AOS Bulletin Vol 62 No 2 1993; AOS Bulletin Vol 63 No 7 1994; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 69 No 10 2000; AOS Bulletin Vol 71 No 2 2002; Flora's Orchids Nash and La Croix 2005; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glenn 2002; African Orchids in the wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 9 2007
Images:
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In culture	In culture	In culture	In culture	In culture	In culture
Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.