Aerangis decaryana H.Perrier, Notul. Syst. (Paris) 7: 34 (1938).
Description:
Plant with an erect, woody stem up to 15 cm long. Leaves 2—6, narrowly elliptic or ligulate, unequally and shortly bilobed at the apex, margins conspicuously undulate, greyish green or dark green, often tinged with red, 4-10 cm long, 8-20 mm wide. Inflorescences usually several, pendulous, arising below the leaves, 8-30 cm long, bearing 4-20 flowers spaced 12-15 mm apart. Flowers white tinged pink; dorsal sepal erect or arching forward above the column, oblong or ligulate, acute, 9-18 mm long, 3.5-6 mm wide; lateral sepals reflexed, lanceolate, acute, 11-20 mm long, 3-5 mm wide; petals reflexed, ligulate, acute, 9-18 mm long, 3.5-6 mm wide; lip deflexed, narrowly pandurate, margins reflexed, subauriculate at the base, cuspidate or shortly acuminate, 10-22 ram long, 4—7 mm wide; spur parallel with the ovary at first, then pendent, 6-12 cm long.
Habitat:
Epiphyte on Tamarindus, spiny Euphorbia and other spiny trees in deciduous, dry forest and scrub; sea level to 900 m; flowering December to March.
Notes:
his very distinctive species is easily recognised by its narrow succulent leaves with undulate margins, abundance of thick roots, and pinkish-brown, flattened spur. The flowers are rather variable in size, perhaps depending on growing conditions in its rather severe habitat; cultivated specimens seem to give the larger measurements.
Distribution:
S. Madagascar
