Diaphananthe odoratissima (Rchb.f.) P.J.Cribb & Carlsward, Phytotaxa 71: 45 (2012).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Angraecum odoratissimum Rchb.f., Bonplandia (Hannover) 4: 326 (1856).
Listrostachys odoratissima (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f., Gard. Chron., n.s., 13: 806 (1880).
Chamaeangis odoratissima (Rchb.f.) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 36(2): 108 (1918).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Listrostachys urostachya Kraenzl. in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenw. Ost-Afrikas, C: 158 (1895).
Listrostachys dewevrei De Wild., Not. Pl. Util. Congo 1: 145 (1903).
Listrostachys pynaertii De Wild., Not. Pl. Util. Congo 2: 164 (1906).
Angraecum urostachyum (Kraenzl.) Engl. in H.G.A.Engler & O.Drude, Veg. Erde 9(II): 420 (1908).
Chamaeangis dewevrei (De Wild.) Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36(2): 108 (1918).
Chamaeangis urostachya (Kraenzl.) Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36(2): 109 (1918).
Description:
Pendent, epiphytic plant; stem 20–45 cm long. Leaves numerous, distichous, 10–24 × 2–3 cm, oblanceolate, unequally and acutely 2-lobed at the apex, rather fleshy, olive-green.I nflorescences several, 8–28 cm long, densely many-flowered; the flowers in whorls of 2–6, usually 4, at the nodes. Flowers creamy-yellow or yellow-green, fairly strongly scented. Pedicel and ovary 3 mm long; bracts sheathing, c. 1 mm long. Dorsal sepal 1–1.8 × 1.5 mm, elliptic, obtuse; lateral sepals 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, obliquely elliptic, obtuse. Petals 1–1.5 × 1.5 mm, elliptic or orbicular, standing forwards on either side of the column. Lip 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, entire, ovate, concave; spur 5–12 mm long, slightly incurved, slender but very slightly inflated at the apex. Column 0.7 mm long.
Habitat:
Low-level epiphyte in evergreen riverine forest 1200–1300 m.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, warm to cool growing, monopodial epiphyte.
Distribution:
Malawi, Cameroon; Central African Republic; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Ivory Coast; Kenya; Liberia; Nigeria; Sierra Leone; Tanzania; Uganda.
References:
Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; Orchids of Malawi La Croix 1983; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Part 2 Pope 1998; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006;WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 26.02-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.
