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Brownleea recurvata Sond., Linnaea 19: 107 (1846).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Disa recurvata (Sond.) Rchb.f., Otia Bot. Hamburg.: 119 (1881).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Brownleea natalensis Rolfe in W.H.Harvey & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Cap. 5(3): 262 (1913).
Description:
Plant 1–1 1/4 ft. high; stem rather slender; leaves cauline, 1–3, suberect, sessile, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, attenuate or acuminate, 2 1/2–4 in. long, 3–5 lin. broad, the upper much smaller; scapes 1–1 1/4 ft. high; spikes 2–3 1/2 in. long, rather lax, usually many-flowered; bracts ovate-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, 1/2–1 in. long; pedicels 5–6 lin. long; flowers medium-sized, pale pink, sometimes streaked with purple, and the anther red-brown; dorsal sepal galeate, ovate-anceolate, acuminate, 4 1/2–5 lin. long, somewhat recurved near the apex; spur cylindrical from a conical base, obtuse, 4 lin. long, somewhat curved; lateral sepals ovate-lanceolate, subacute, 5 lin. long; petals oblique, falcate-oblong, obtuse, somewhat undulate on the outer margin above, subauriculate below, cohering to the margin of the dorsal sepal to near the apex, 4 1/2 lin. long; lip erect, linear, minute, about 1/2 lin. long; column short; anther reflexed, clavate; rostellum erect, 1 1/4 lin. long, with parallel oblong arms, bituberculate at the base; stigma pulvinate; capsule fusiform-oblong, 5–6 lin. long.
Habitat:
In grasslands in full sun at elevations of sea level to 2500 meters,
Distribution:
S. & E. Cape Prov. to S. KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga
References:
Encylopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999
Images:
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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.	Photograph© Cameron McMaster. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Cameron McMaster. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Cameron McMaster. Image used with kind permission.