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Centrostigma occultans (Welw. ex Rchb.f.) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 523 (1915).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Habenaria occultans Welw. ex Rchb.f., Flora 48: 178 (1865).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Habenaria schlechteri Kraenzl. ex Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 20(50): 35 (1895).
Centrostigma nyassanum Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 523 (1915).
Centrostigma schlechteri (Kraenzl. ex Schltr.) Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 523 (1915).
Description:
A terrestrial herb 4-7 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots; tubers globose to almost cylindrical, 1-2.5 cm. long, 0.5-1 cm. in diameter, glabrous or sparsely hairy; roots flexuous, slender, ± hairy. Stem erect, slender to rather stout, up to 7 mm. diameter at base, leafy throughout its length, somewhat angular. Leaves 7-10, the lowermost 1 or 2 reduced to tight sheaths, the remainder erect or suberect, narrowly lanceolate or linear, acute or acuminate, the largest 8-16 cm. long and 1-2 cm. broad, the uppermost ones similar to the bracts. Inflorescence 6-16 cm. long, 5-7 cm. in diameter, rather closely 3-10-flowered. Bracts erect, leafy, lanceolate, acute, 3-6 cm. long, often longer than the pedicel with ovary. Flowers suberect or curving outwards, green, greenish-white or greenish-yellow; pedicel with ovary rather slender, slightly curved, 4.5-6 cm. long, lengthening in fruit. Dorsal sepal erect, broadly ovate, acuminate, apex recurved, very convex, 15-18 mm. long, 10-15 mm. broad; laterals decurved, obliquely and narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 14-18 mm. long, 4-6 mm. broad, somewhat twisted, 3-nerved. Petals erect, much curved, obliquely lanceolate, acute, 14-17 mm. long, ± 4 mm. broad, 2-nerved. Lip united for 3-4 mm. at the base to the column, free part 3-lobed nearly to the base ; middle lobe deflexed, linear-lanceolate, acute, 16-21 mm. long, 2-3 mm. broad; side lobes spreading, oblanceolate-linear in general shape, the apical part divided into 7-10 slender filaments or bearing similar filaments along the outer margin, as long as the middle lobe, ± 3 mm. broad; spur dependent, narrowly cylindrical, apical third very slightly swollen, 10-15 cm. long, scarcely 2 mm. in diameter. Anther erect, apiculate, 8-11 mm. high, loculi contiguous, parallel, canals slender, ± I cm. long; stigmatic processes bilobed above the base, the lower lobe horizontal, stout, obliquely clavate at the apex, whole length from base 8-9 mm., the upper lobe very slender, horn-like, tapering, curving up in front of the column, 7-9 mm. from its junction with the lower lobe (there is sometimes a much smaller additional lobe arising from the outside of the lower lobe), rostellum middle lobe erect, narrowly triangular, acute, 3-5 mm. high, the side lobes horizontal and attached to the lip in the basal half, curving upwards in the apical half, ± 1 cm. long.
Habitat:
Dambo and marshy localities 1250–1700 m.
Cultivation:
Not in cultivation
Distribution:
Tanzania to Angola and Northern Prov.
References:
Flora of Tropical East Africa Summerhayes Orchidaceae Part 1 1968; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11, Part 1, (1995) Author: I. la Croix and P.J. Cribb; African Orchids: XXIII V. S. Summerhayes, Kew Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 2 (1956), pp. 217-236; African Orchids: VI V. S. Summerhayes, Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens, Kew), Vol. 1934, No. 5 (1934), pp. 205-214
Images:
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Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ
Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Lourens Grobler. Image used with kind permission.