Aerangis megaphylla Summerh. ex Mildbr., Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 13: 698 (1937).
Description:
Stem creeping or upright, up to 10 cm long, bearing numerous glabrous roots. Leaves 6-7, oblanceolate or broadly oblanceolate, apex unequally bilobed, the longer lobe acute, 5-10 mm long, the shorter lobe rounded or absent, 15-22 x 3-6 cm. Inflorescences pendulous, 15-30 cm long, with 5-7 widely spaced flowers; peduncle 8-13 cm bearing 3 obtuse or subacute sheaths up to 8 mm long; bracts spreading, ovate, acute, 3-7 mm long. Flowers greenish-white, the pedicellate ovary 3-4 cm long. Tepals all narrowly lanceolate; dorsal sepal erect 20-27 x 3-3-5 mm; lateral sepals deflexed 30-35 x 3-3-5 mm; petals reflexed, 20-22 x 3-3-5 mm. Lip lanceolate, acuminate, reflexed from a point near the middle, 25-30 x 5 mm; spur dependent, slender, slightly inflated in the apical half, 9--10 cm long. Column terete below, inflated above, 9 mm long, with a small tooth near the base and above the mouth of the spur.
Habitat:
Forest; 300-1000 m.
Cultivation:
Not known to be in cultivation. From the habitat and distribution, it could be expected to require shade, high humidity and intermediate to warm temperatures.
Notes:
This species is somewhat similar to the preceding but differs from it in the smaller flowers in which all the perianth parts are very narrow, the lateral sepals exceed the petals and dorsal sepal in length by at least 1 cm, and the spur is only half as long. It differs from Aerangis brachycarpa by the larger leaves, narrower roots, and several features of the flowers. It is also somewhat similar to two other forest species in West Africa Aerangis arachnopus and Aerangis gravenreuthii, but can be distinguished from both of these by its larger leaves and larger flowers with longer spurs.
Distribution:
Annobón, Central African Rep. to Cameroon
References:
A Revision of the African Species of Aerangis (Orchidaceae) Kew Bulletin, Vol. 34, No. 2 (1979), pp. 239-319; WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 19.01-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.
