Aerangis punctata J.Stewart, Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 55: 1120 (1986).
Description:
Plant size, a very small, (2.5-5.0 cm) monopodial epiphyte. Pseudobulb/stem, (1-2 cm) long. The stems have grayish roots with a conspicuously bumpy, warty surface and bright green tips that are flattened against the substratum. Leaves (2.0-3.5 cm) long by (0.5-1.2 cm) wide. Each growth carries 2-4 elliptic, oblong, or elliptic-oblong leaves which alternate along the stem. Leaves are dull grayish green densely marked with minute silver dots. The apex of each leaf is bilobed, and the lobes end sharply on either side of the midrib with a short sinus between them. Inflorescence(3.5-2.5 cm) long, including the slender pedicellate ovary. The peduncle, which is (1-2 cm) long, emerges from the stem below the leaves. Flowers: 1, occasionally 2-3. Blossoms are up to (4 cm) across. Sepals and petals may be greenish or pale brownish. The narrowly lanceolate sepals are (1.4-2.0 cm) long by (0.3-0.4 cm) wide at the base with sharply pointed tips. The dorsal sepal is erect, and lateral sepals are obliquely spreading. Somewhat spreading, the strap-shaped to lanceolate petals are (1.2-1.6 cm) long by (0.2 cm) wide at the base. The egg-shaped lip tapers gradually to a slender, sharply pointed apex. It is widest at the middle or on the upper half with a wide entrance to the spur at its base. Overall, the lip is (1.6-2.2 cm) long by (0.7-0.9 cm) wide near the middle. The spur, which is (10-12 cm) long, is funnel-shaped where it meets the lip and then narrows abruptly, becoming very slender from there to the tip. The short and broad column is (0.3 cm) long and the anther cap has a small, pointed, beaklike projection.
Habitat:
This recently described epiphytic orchid (1986) is found in center of the island at about 4600 ft. (1400 m).
Cultivation:
Read more of cultivation of Aerangis punctata J.Stewart,
Notes:
Aerangis punctata and Aerangis curnowiana is very similar in many respects, but Aerangis punctata differs in several ways. First, the roots are wider, flatter, and always have a bumpy surface. Leaves are differently shaped at the apex, and their surface is dotted with minute silver spots which appear to have been punctured with a pin when viewed through a hand lens. It often produces 2-3 flowers on an inflorescence but Aerangis curnowiana never produces more than a single blossom. Petals of Aerangis punctata are shorter and narrower than the sepals, but those of Aerangis curnowiana are all similar. The lip of Aerangis punctata is somewhat variable in that it is sometimes widest closer to the apex, but is always wider than the lip of Aerangis curnowiana.
Distribution:
C. Madagascar, Réunion
References:
Stewart, J. 1986. Stars of the islands - A new look at the genus Aerangis in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands - 4. American Orchid Society Bulletin 55(11):1117-1125.
Photos/drawings:
Stewart, J. 1986. Stars of the islands - A new look at the genus Aerangis in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands - 4. American Orchid Society Bulletin 55(11):1117-1125. (Drawing and color photo); WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 20.01-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.
| In culture | In culture | In culture | In culture |
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| Photograph Gilles Grunenwald. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph Gilles Grunenwald. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph Gilles Grunenwald. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph Gilles Grunenwald. Image used with kind permission. |
| Habitat/In situ | Habitat/In situ |
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| Photograph Frederic Henze. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph Gilles Grunenwald. Image used with kind permission. |
