Home

Pterygodium catholicum (L.) Sw., Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 21: 218 (1800).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Ophrys catholica L., Pl. Rar. Afr.: 27 (1760).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Ophrys alaris L.f., Suppl. Pl.: 404 (1782).
Arethusa alaris (L.f.) Raeusch., Nomencl. Bot.: 262 (1797).
Pterygodium alare (L.f.) Druce, Bot. Soc. Exch. Club Brit. Isles 1916: 642 (1917).
Description:
An erect glabrous herb, 15-30 cm. high; stem straight or subflexuous, foliate, the leaves distant, 2-7 fl. at the apex, the flowers suberect; the lower leaf basal erect oblong, obtuse and apiculate or acute, sheathing at base, margin usually undulate, 5-10 cm. long, the upper one smaller, often sheath-like, spreading at the apex; bracts herbaceous lanceolate acute, a little shorter than the flowers; lateral sepals spreading concave ovate acuminate, 1 cm. long; odd sepal erect subgaleate apiculate, the apiculus reflexed, as long as the lateral sepals; petals erect, almost semi-orbicular, concave, the margin obscurely undulate, about as long as the odd sepal; limb of the lip deflexed small rhomboidal acuminate, 0,5-0,6 cm. long, the appendix larger, oblong in outline, erect, incurved at the narrowed denticulate apex which is verruculose on the inner side; stigma horse-shoe shaped.
Habitat:
It grows in seasonally moist sandy soils and clay vleis in renosterveld in the southwestern and southern Cape
Phenology:
Flowering from September to December - mostly after fire.
Note:
This is one of the commonest of our orchids, and very regularin its appearance. It very closely resembles Pterygodium acutifolium but may always be distinguished by the difference in the apical portion of the lip and in never having more than two leaves.
Distribution:
SW. & S. Cape Prov.
References:
Flora Capensis, Vol 5, Part 3, page 3, (1913) Author: (By R. A. ROLFE.); Wild orchids of Southern Africa. J. Stuart, H.P. Linder, E.A. Schelpe, A.V. Hall, 1982; Orchids of Kenia. Joyce Stuart, 1996; Orchids of Southern Africa. H.P. Linder and H. Kurzweil, 1999. A.A. Balkema/Rotterdam
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.

Habitat/In situ	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.	Photograph© Cameron McMaster. Image used with kind permission.