Aeranthes robusta Senghas, Orchidee (Hamburg) 38: 5 (1987).
Description:
Plant pendent with a short stem 2 cm long, and fine wiry roots. Leaves in 2 rows, spaced close together, flat, fleshy, symmetrically bilobed at the apex, 27 cm long, 4 cm wide. Inflorescences axilary, flexuose, pendent, bearing up to 10 flowers in succession; peduncle up to 50 cm long with few widely separated sheaths. Flowers not opening fully, 4.5 cm high, 3.5 cm wide, yellow green, sepals deeper green, robust and fleshy; dorsal sepal ovate, acuminate, recurved in the upper half 27 mm long, 16 mm wide near the base; lateral sepals strongly recurved from the middle, asymmetrical, obliquely ovate, acuminate, 35 mm long, 21 mm wide; petals obliquely ovate, apiculus 12 mm long, recurved at the apex, in total 30 mm long, 16 mm wide; lip rhomboid, curved, attached to the column foot by a narrow claw, shortly apiculate, in total 30 mm long, 20 mm wide; spur linear, curved, slightly thickened at the apex, 15 mm long.
Habitat:
Epiphyte in montane forest; 1300-1600 m; flowering in July and September.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus.
Notes:
This species seems to be somewhat similar to Aeranthes carnosa, except for its pendent habit.
Distribution:
EC. Madagascar
References:
WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 21.01-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
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