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Brachycorythis pubescens Harv., Thes. Cap. 1: 35 (1860).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Platanthera brachycorythis Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 20(50): 12 (1895).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Peristylus hispidulus Rendle, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 30: 398 (1891).
Platanthera hispidula (Rendle) Gilg in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenw. Ost-Afrikas, C: 151 (1895).
Brachycorythis goetziana Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 28: 176 (1899).
Brachycorythis kassneriana Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 51: 378 (1914).
Brachycorythis baumii Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 38(2): 109 (1921).
Brachycorythis hispidula (Rendle) Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 38(2): 108 (1921).
Brachycorythis stolzii Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 38(2): 110 (1921).
Brachycorythis sudanica Schltr., Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 38(2): 111 (1921).
Description:
Roots tuberous, fleshy, ellipsoid to cylindrical, ca. 1 cm in diameter, densely woolly, clustered. Stem 15-80 cm tall, erect, rather delicate, densely, minutely pubescent. Cauline leaves up to 40 or so, 2-6 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, ovate to narrowly lanceolate, acute to acuminate, densely velvety hairy on both surfaces, spread to suberect, decreasing in size up the stem. Inflorescence 4-35 cm long, up to 40-50-flowered, dense. Flowers pink to purple often with the orange or yellow centre, the tepals often darker at the tips. Floral bracts up to 25 mm long, densely pubescent on both sides. Pedicel and ovary 10-25 mm long, densely pubescent. Sepals densely, minutely pubescent outside. Dorsal sepal 4.5-8 mm long, 2-4.5 mm wide, elliptic to broadly obovate, obtuse to rounded at the apex. Petals 4.5-7 mm long, 1.5-4 mm wide, obliquely ovate to elliptic, obtuse to subacute, sparsely pubescent outside. Lateral sepals 4.5-8 mm long, 2.5-5 mm wide, obliquely ovate or elliptic, rounded at the apex, cochleate. Lip hypochile 1^4 mm long and wide, concave; epichile 5-10 mm long, 6-14 mm wide, bent downwards in the knee-like manner, densely pubescent on both sides, broadly wedge-shaped or fan-shaped in general outline, very narrow at the base, widest at the apex, three-lobed in the apical part; the middle lobe ca. 1 mm long and wide, obscure, triangular or rounded; sidelobes broadly rounded to rhomboid, usually longer than the middle one. Gynostemium 2.5-4 mm long.
Habitat:
In upland grasslands, edges of dambo and Brachystegia or other open woodlands. All year round.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus.
Distribution:
Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Republic of South Africa. Alt. 500-2400 m.
References:
Orchidaceae of West-central Africa, vol. 1, Gdansk University Press Gdansk 2010; Flora of Tropical East Africa Summerhayes Orchidaceae Part 1 1968
Images:
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Photograph© Ehoarn Bidault/ Missouri Botanical Garden. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Ehoarn Bidault/ Missouri Botanical Garden. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Ehoarn Bidault/ Missouri Botanical Garden. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Ehoarn Bidault/ Missouri Botanical Garden. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Ehoarn Bidault/ Missouri Botanical Garden. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Ehoarn Bidault/ Missouri Botanical Garden. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Ehoarn Bidault/ Missouri Botanical Garden. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Ehoarn Bidault/ Missouri Botanical Garden. Image used with kind permission.