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Platylepis occulta (Thouars) Rchb.f., Linnaea 41: 62 (1876).
Homotypic Synonyms
Goodyera occulta Thouars in Hist. Orchid.: t. 28 (1822)
Hetaeria occulta (Thouars) Lindl. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 24(Misc.): 94 (1838)
Notiophrys occulta (Thouars) Lindl. in J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 1: 189 (1857)
Orchiodes occultum (Thouars) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 675 (1891)
Platylepis goodyeroides A.Rich. in Mém. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris 4: 34 (1828), nom. superfl.
Heterotypic Synonyms
Erporkis bracteata Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 660 (1891)
Erporkis crypterpis Thouars in Hist. Orchid.: t. 28 (1822)
Platylepis polyadenia Rchb.f. in Flora 68: 537 (1885)
Description:
Robust herbs, 25-40 cm long, rhizome spreading, fleshier than the stem; leaves very numerous, petiolate (petiole 2-3 cm long), elliptical or oblong-lanceolate (12-15 x 3-5 cm), acute; peduncle with several large sheaths, villous-glandular apically; inflorescence dense, oblong (3.4 x 1,5-2 cm); bracts widely, oval-acute (11-13 x 6-8 mm), hirsute-glandular, slightly shorter titan the flower, more than three times longer than wide; flowers 15-17 mm long (with the ovary). Hirsute-glandular on the pedicel and the external parts of the flower. Median sepal narrow, slightly gibbous basally, dilate (3 mm) above the center. Petals oblanceolate-linear (8-9 x 1,5 mm), very narrow in the lower three-fourths, obtuse and 1 veined labellum thick, verrucose exteriorly, adnate to the column for three fourths of its length, 5 veined, 7 mm long 3,5 mm wide in the apical third, bigibbous basally, the 2 humps very visible, spherical, each containing a large callus, and tipped with a small lobule, semi-circular, obtuse apically and l mm wide; basal ked projecting in front. Column thin, 7 mm tall. Anther acute, taller (3 mm) than the rostellum with the lamina deeply bifid, lobes to 1,5 mm long; staminodes in very obtuse lobules and slightly visible. Stigmas slightly projecting, elongated, recurving. Ovary hirsute-glandular, 7-8 mm long.
Habitat:
In humus and vegetation debris in forests, from 0-1200 m. alt.
Phenology:
Flowering November-February.
Distribution:
Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Seychelles References:
References:
Historie Particulier des Plantes Orchidees Recueilles Sur Trois Iles Australes d'Afrique Thouars 1822; Flora of Madagascar Perrier 1939/81; Orchids of Madagascar, Hermans, Du Puy, Cribb and Bosser 2007; Field Guide to the Orchids of Madagascar Cribb & Hermans; POWO (2022). "Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ Retrieved 29 November 2022."
Images:
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Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ
Photograph© Rogier van Vugt. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Rogier van Vugt. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Rogier van Vugt. Image used with kind permission.