Cynorkis ochyrae Szlach. & Olszewski, Fl. Cameroun 34: 92 (1998).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Bicornella ochyrae (Szlach. & Olszewski) Szlach. & Kras, Richardiana 6: 145 (2006).
Description:
Tuber single, ca. 1 cm long, 0.6 cm in diameter, ovoid, roots fleshy. Stem 19-40 cm tall, erect or curved upwards at the base, delicate, sparsely glandular above the leaves, densely glandular towards the apex. Leaves 1 or 2, near the base of the stem, spread, petiolate; petiole up to 5 cm long, narrow; blade up to 7 cm long, up to 2 cm wide, oblanceolate, broadly-lanceolate, rarely narrowly lanceolate, acute. Cauline bracts (2)3(4), up to 3 cm long, amplexicaul, acute. Inflorescence up to 10.5 cm long, 5-20-flowered, rather lax, subsecund. Flowers small, resupinate, rose. Floral bracts 4-5 mm long, scarious, sparsely glandular on the outer surface. Pedicel ca. 1.5 mm long. Ovary 7 mm long, slightly arcuate, cylindrical, sparsely glandular. Dorsal sepal 3.8 mm long, 2.8 mm wide, almost rotundate, strongly concave, acuminate and cucullate at the apex, glabrous. Petals 3.5 mm long, 1.8 mm wide, obliquely ovate, obtuse, thin, glabrous. Lateral sepals 7 mm long, 3.5 mm wide, obliquely elliptic-ovate, subacute, thin, almost glabrous. Lip 8.5-9.5 mm long, 3.5-4 mm wide, oblong-obovate in general outline, widest near the two-third, indistinctly erose along the apical margin, acute. Spur 4 mm long, narrowly cylindrical, pendent, slightly swollen at the apex, obtuse. Gynostemium 1.5 mm long.
Habitat:
Forests. February-March.
Notes:
This species resembles Cynorkis kassneriana Kraenzl., from which it differs by the lip and tepals form and by the proportions between lateral and dorsal sepals, and is somewhat similar to Cynorkis anacamptoides Kraenzl., from which it is easy to distinguish by the long-petiolate leaves and larger flowers. Its lip is oblong-obovate in general outline and lateral sepals are twice as large as the dorsal one.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus.
Distribution:
Known so far from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) only. Alt. 2200-2800 m.
References:
Orchidaceae of West-central Africa, vol. 1, Gdansk University Press Gdansk 2010
