Aerangis stylosa (Rolfe) Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 33(2): 427 (1915).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Angraecum stylosum Rolfe, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1895: 194 (1895).
Rhaphidorhynchus stylosus (Rolfe) Finet, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 54(9): 36 (1907).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Angraecum fournierae André, Rev. Hort. 68: 256 (1896).
Description:
Plant with a short woody stem up to 5 cm long, 10 mm in diameter. Leaves 2-6 in 2 rows, spaced close together near apex of stem, elliptic or oblong-elliptic or obovate, cuneate to the sheathing base, unequally bilobed at the apex, the longer lobe 1-2 mm long, dull bluish green or greyish green, fleshy but thin and with a shiny surface and a red margin, up to 18 cm long, 3-6 cm wide. Inflorescences stout, usually several, arching or pendent, 30-60 cm long, bearing 9-15 flowers in 2 rows, spaced 2.5-4 cm apart, with loose sheaths and bracts. Flowers held with the elongated column (6-9 mm long) pendent or facing downwards, white, sometimes tinged with salmon pink or pale brown, the spur usually pale brown, tepals all reflexed at maturity; dorsal sepal ligulate, shortly acuminate or apicu-late, the tip often curving forwards but sometimes reflexed, 18-20 mm long, 6-8 mm wide; lateral sepals oblique, ligulate, apiculate, 20-24 mm long, 6-8 mm wide; lip reflexed parallel to the spur, ligulate, apiculate, 18-22 mm long, 6-8 mm wide; spur slender, gradually tapering towards the tip and curving forwards below the flower, 10-15 cm long.
Habitat:
Epiphyte on trees in moist, evergreen forest, sea level to 1400 m; flowering September to May.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, hot to warm growing epiphyte.
Notes:
This species seems to be rather similar to Aerangis spiculata but always less robust and with smaller flowers. The bracts are large and loose and the rachis seems to lack the peg-like outgrowths on which the flowers are inserted in Aerangis spiculata.
Distribution:
Comoros, Madagascar
References:
Flora de Madagascar Perrier 1939/81 in error actually A articulata; Flora de Madagascar Perrier 1939/81; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 10 1963; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 4 1980; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 8 1986; An Introduction to the Cultivated Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar Hillerman & Holst 1986; Miniature Orchids Northern 1988; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Laurent 1992; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 2 2004; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006; Orchids of Madagascar Hermans 2007; Field Guide to the Orchids of Madagascar Cribb & Herman 2009; WSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 10.02-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.
| In culture |
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| Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission. |
