Angraecum crassum Thouars, Hist. Orchid.: 70 (1822).
Synonyms:
Aerobion crassum (Thouars) Spreng., Syst. Veg. 3: 717 (1826).
Angorchis crassa (Thouars) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 651 (1891).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Angraecum sarcodanthum Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 15: 339 (1918).
Angraecum crassiflorum H.Perrier, Notul. Syst. (Paris) 7: 132 (1938).
Description:
Plant with upright, thick stem that can reach a length of 40 cm, densely leafed; leaves 12-18 x 1.5-2.5 cm, very unequally obtusely bilobed at the tip. Inflorescence through a sheath, as long as the leaves, with five to 12 inverted flowers; base of peduncle sheathed, about half as long as the rachis; bracts short and thick; flowers white, turning yellow, thick, medium-sized (division of the perianth 18-20 mm long); sepals and petals lanceolate and almost acute, the petals slightly smaller; lip very concave, widest toward the middle; spur short (25 mm) and thick, cylindrical and straight, as long as or slightly longer than the pedicellate ovary; ovary very twisted, sessile, 18—20 mm long.
Habitat:
Growing on tree trunks from sea level to 400 meters in altitude, flowering between September and January.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, hot growing epiphyte.
Distribution:
NE. Madagascar
References:
Historie Particulier des Plantes Orchidees Recueilles Sur Trois Iles Australes d'Afrique Thouars 1822; Flora of Madagascar Perrier 1939/81 as A crassiflorum ; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans and Campbell 2007; Orchids of Madagascar Hermans 2007; Field Guide to the Orchids of Madagascar Cribb & Herman 2009; WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 25.01-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.
| In culture | In culture |
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| Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission. | Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission. |
