Angraecum firthii Summerh., Kew Bull. 13: 267 (1958).
Description:
Plants with an elongate stem bearing leaves and roots along its length. Stems upright, somewhat compressed so that they appear flattened, 10-30 cm long. Leaves dark green, rather thin, oblanceolate or oblong, unequally lobed at the apex, with rounded lobes, 8-12 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm wide. Inflorescences short, slender, 3- to 5-flowered; bracts broadly ovate, obtuse, 1.5-2 mm long; pedicellate ovary 13-16 mm long. Flowers yellowish green; dorsal sepal lanceolate, long acuminate, 13-20 mm long, 3.5-3.8 mm wide; lateral sepals similar, 14-18 mm long; petals similar but smaller, 11-13 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide; lip somewhat 3-lobed, 12-13 mm long,4-6 mm wide, the side lobes wide, erect, the mid-lobe recurved, linear, acuminate, 6.5 mm long; spur S-shaped, ca. 15 mm long.
Etymology:
Named for the late E. P. Firth of Fort Ternan, Kenya, who discovered it.
Habitat:
Epiphyte in the warmer evergreen forests; 1450-1600 m; flowering in June.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, cool growing epiphyte.
Distribution:
Cameroon to SW. Kenya
References:
Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989; Orchids of Kenya Stewart and Campbell 1996; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006; WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 27.01-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
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