Goodyera afzelii Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 15: 327 (1918).
Description:
A terrestrial herb up to 60 cm tall with an elongate creeping rhizome, 5 mm in diameter, bearing solitary hairy roots at each nodes; nodes 3 - 4 cm apart. Erect stems 5 mm in diameter, fleshy, leafy. Leaves 7 - 9 x 3 - 3.6 cm, suberect-spreading, petiolate, ovate, acute; petiole 2 - 2.5 cm long, slender but slightly broader just above attachment to a 1.8 - 2.1 cm long sheathing papery base. Inflorescence laxly to subdensely many-flowered; peduncle up to 23 cm long, glandular, bearing 2 - 3 sterile sheathing bracts; rhachis up to 17 cm or more long, glandular; bracts 9 - 11 mm long, lanceolate, acuminate, glandular. Flowers small, subglobose, white-glandular on outer surface of sepals, sepals straw-coloured tinged with pink, petals pale pinkish, lip pale green to whitish; pedicel and ovary 6 - 11 mm long, glandular. Dorsal sepal 4.5 x 2 2.5 mm, cucullate, ovate, obtuse, forming with the petals a hood over the column. Lateral sepals 4 - 5 x 3 mm, recurved, obliquely ovate, acute. Petals 4.5 x 2 - 2.3 mm, adnate in apical half to each other, obovate, obtuse. Lip 4.5 x 3.5 - 4 mm, bipartite; hypochile globose, deeply saccate, bearing numerous papillae on inner surface; epichile recurved, ovate-ligulate, obtuse, 2 mm long. Column 2 mm long; stigma with a basal callosity; anther pyriform; rostellar arms 1 mm long, lanceolate, porrect.
Habitat:
Notes:
The specimen from Mozambique is taller than those from Madagascar but otherwise agrees well with them.
Distribution:
Mozambique (Chimanimani Mts.), N. & E. Madagascar
References:
Flora of Madagascar: vascular plants: 49th family, Orchids / by H. Perrier de La Bathie; published under the auspices of the government of Madagascar and under the direction of H. Humbert; English revision and translation by Steven D. Beckman; Orchids of Madagascar Hermans, Du Puy, Cribb and Bosser 2009; Field Guide to the Orchids of Madagascar Cribb & Hermans 2009; Les Orchidees de Madagascar Bosser & Lecoufle 2015; A la Recherche des Orchidees de Madagascar Hervouet 2018; POWO (2022). "Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ Retrieved 29 November 2022."
Images:
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