Satyrium striatum Thunb., Prodr. Pl. Cap.: 6 (1794).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Diplecthrum striatum Pers., Syn. Pl. 2: 509 (1807).
Description:
Plants slender, erect (5-) 7-9 (-15) cm high, viscous on most parts except the flowers, usually retaining particles of soil on some surfaces. Leaves basal, 12, broadly ovate, spreading, up to 21 mm long. Sheaths 1 -3, similar tothe leaves but partly spreading from a conical base, up to 18 mm long. Inflorescence short and few-flowered, 1 -7 cm long with 1 -8 flowers. Perianth dull yellow to greenish white, with dark purple, striped markings. Scent faint, sweet-pungent. Bracts broadly rhomboid to ovate, not deflexed, 1 -2 times the length of the 6-7 mm ovary. Sepals 4-6 mm long, ovate, the lateral pair minutely papillose. Petals narrower and more acute than the sepals, almost as long. Labellum 5-8 mm long, curved but not hooded over the column, broadly oblong, obtuse. Labellum-spurs2 mm long, rounded to sub-conical. Column base about 2 mm long. Stigma rotund, curved over the rostellum, the sides reflexed. Rostellum about 1 mm long, deltate, deflexed over the anther-sacs, the oval anther-glands on the margin near the base. Anther-sacs closely packed beneath the rostellum, the connective narrowly cuneate.
Habitat:
Flowering is mostly in the spring months of September and October. The altitude range is from 100 to 800 metres. The species grows on moist flats and slopes in coarse, sandstone-derived soils, often stony, in winter-rainfall conditions with warm, dry windy summers.
Distribution:
The distribution extends through about 170 km in the S.W. Cape Province, in scattered places: the species is rare, having seldom been collected even in well-known areas.
Images:
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| Botanical Drawing / Herbarium |
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| Photograph copyright Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz Image used with kind permission. |
