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Pterygodium schelpei H.P.Linder, S. African J. Bot. 54: 496 (1988).
Description:
Herbaceous plants perennating by globose tubers, 8-12 mm in diam.; stems straight or flexuose, erect or initially decumbent, 90-300 mm tall; basal sheaths 1-2, hyaline, acute, up to 40 mm long. Leaves (2)3; the largest basal, shortly sheathing, the blade lorate to narrowly ovate, obtuse, 80-150 x 25^1-0 mm; the upper leaves smaller, narrower, tapering towards the apex and acute, the top leaf sheathing, bractiform. Inflorescence erect, rather laxly 8-15-flowered; bracts deflexed, narrowly ovate, finely acute, 5-15 mm long, hyaline, brownish towards the apices; ovaries erect, ca. 10 mm long; flowers resupinated, strongly sweet-scented, sepals lime-green, petals and lip white. Sepals unequal; the laterals spreading to reflexed, ovate, acute, shallowly concave, 5,5-6,5 x 4-4,5 mm; the dorsal erect, lorate to narrowly obovate, acute, connate with the petals, 6-7 x 1,5-2,5 mm. Petals bilobed, axeshaped; the limb and posterior lobe straight, lorate, acute, 7-8 mm long, connate with the dorsal sepal; the anterior lobe (blade) flabellate, 4,5-6 mm in diam., twisted to form a hood over the lip appendage and column. Lip 3-lobed, pendent; central lobe narrowly triangular, acute, 3-4 mm long; lateral lobes flabellate, patent, margins sub-crenate, 3-4 mm in diam., basal fold less than 1 mm long; lip appendage erect, narrowly stalked, obliquely crateriform, the highest part of the rim anterior and slightly notched. Column very complex; the anther erect with the connective and rostellum much elongated, carrying the anther cells to the front of the lip appendage, the stigma bilobed, visible at the base of the lip appendage stalk.
Etymology:
This species is named in honour of Prof. Schelpe, in recognition of his contribution to plant taxonomy, not only in South Africa, but also internationally. For many years he was a well-known figure in plant taxonomy in South Africa, and despite his diverse interests in ferns, bryophytes and Nemesia, he was the local expert on orchids, and was internationally recognized as such.
Habitat:
This new species is known from the arid fringes of the Cape Floristic Region, ranging from Worcester to Calvinia. Most of the records indicate seepages or cool habitats on clayey soils, often under bushes or in the lee of rocks. Several collections are from renosterveld. The type locality is from the dolomitic hills near Nieuwoudtville, where the plants grow in rather dense local populations, half-hidden under bushes.
Phenology:
Flowers September to October.
Notes:
Pterygodium schelpei is undoubtedly closely related to Pterygodium volucris, but the morphological differences appear to be constant, especially the lip characters which are easily observed on herbarium material. In addition, there is an ecological relationship, with both species flowering at the same time, but with Pterygodium schelpei occurring on heavier soils than Pterygodium volucris. The only record of Pterygodium volucris from the Nieuwoudtville area, not far from the type locality of Pterygodium schelpei, is from Lokenberg, where it has been recorded from a sandstone ridge. A similar relationship also occurs between Pterygodium pentherianum Schltr. and Pterygodium caffrum (L.) Swartz. The former is rather rare, and is known from Malmesbury shales (in the Biedouw Valley, near Kriedouw in the Olifants River Valley and along the Berg River), while the latter is widespread on sandstone or granite-derived soils in the south-western Cape. As in the Pterygodium schelpei! Pterygodium volucris pair, the morphological differences are slight, indicating that these are vicariant taxa.
Distribution:
W. & SW. Cape Prov.
References:
Taxonomic notes on some orchids from the south-western Cape Province, South Africa H.P. Linder, Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7700 Republic of South Africa Accepted 5 April 1988; Orchids of Southern Africa by H. P. Linder; H. Kurzweil Published by A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam (1999)
Images:
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Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ
Photograph© Cameron McMaster. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Cameron McMaster. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Cameron McMaster. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Cameron McMaster. Image used with kind permission.