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Disperis oppositifolia Sm. in A.Rees, Cycl. 11: 6 (1808).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Dryopeia oppositifolia (Sm.) Thouars, Hist. Orchid.: t. 1-3 (1822).
Dryorkis antidris Thouars, Hist. Orchid.: t. 1 (1822), nom. superfl.
Description:
Slender terrestrial herb 6-25 cm high; tubers oblong. Leaves 2, opposite, borne on upper half of stem, 1.5-5.5 × 0.8-2 cm, lanceolate or ovate, acute, with a short petiole. Inflorescence 1-3-flowered; bracts c. 6 mm long. Flowers off white to pale pink with purple lines on the upper part of the petals; pedicel and ovary 9-12 mm long. Dorsal sepal 4.5-6(-7) × 0.5 mm, linear; lateral sepals 5-10 × 3-4 mm, joined at the base for a third to a half of their length, each with a small, sac-like spur. Petals 4.5-6(-7) × 3-3.5 mm, broadly falcate, adnate to the dorsal sepal to form a shallow hood, cordate at the base. Lip clawed, with a 3-lobed appendage, slightly pubescent, the mid-lobe short, triangular, the side lobes linear, curving back, longer than the mid-lobe but sometimes a little enlarged and rounded at the apex, 1.5-2 mm long. Rostellum arms slender up to 1.5 mm long.
Notes:
The flowers of this species are white, pale rose or lilac or white with sepals striped with red, magenta or mauve. The terminal appendage of the lip is variable. The mid-lobe is often short and triangular, but it can be elongated into a point at the glabrous tip (Dumont-D’Urville, La Réunion). The two side lobes are curved, rounded at the tips or more or less spathulate at the end. The pubescence is always papillose and short on the two lateral lobes and the base of the mid-lobe, but the tip of the latter can be glabrous. In many localities this orchid is more or less robust and the size of the flower is variable. It can be locally common, often being found in small colonies.
Habitat:
Moisture-loving species of humid forests at low and intermediate elevations; terrestrial or on rocks by streams, sometimes in moss on the base of tree trunks, also found in riparian forest with Pandanus sp., and sometimes in pine plantations; sea level-1200 m.
Phenology:
Flowering from July to February.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, warm growing terrestrial.
Distribution:
Madagascar, the Comoro and the Mascarene Islands.
References:
The genus Disperis (Orchidaceae) in Madagascar, the Comores, the Mascarenes and the Seychelles, ADANSONIA, sér. 3-2002 -24 (1) : 55-87; Flora Of Madagascar Perrier 1939; Orchids of Madagascar Hermans, Du Puy, Philipp Cribb & Bosser 2007; Field Guide to the Orchids of Madagascar Cribb & Herman 2009; A synopsis of the genus Disperis Sw. (Orchidaceae), ADANSONIA, sér. 3 - 2005 - 27 (2) : 155-207
Images:
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Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ
Photograph© Etienne Vennetier Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Etienne Vennetier Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Etienne Vennetier Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Etienne Vennetier Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Etienne Vennetier Image used with kind permission.