Genus Holothrix

Holothrix brevipetala Immelman & Schelpe, Bothalia 13: 455 (1981).
Description:
Slender, tuberous geophyte up to 30cm, with a stout stalk, stiff deflexed hairs and without bracts. Leaf one, pressed flat on the ground, up to 12mm wide, usually withered at flowering time; up to 35 flowers, more or less on one side of the flowering stem, greenish-yellow, sepals densely hairy; lip with 3-5 short, broad lobes; spur slightly curved, 1-2 mm long.
Habitat:
Found in the Western and Eastern Cape as far as Port Elizabeth; growing in sand and shallow soil in rock crevices.
Flower Date:
October to January, mostly after fire
Notes:
The squamules or stout hairs on the leaves of this species and the reflexed hairs on the scape are similar to those of Holothrix cernua. However the lip lobes are much shorter and relatively broader than the linear lobes of Holothrix cernua.
Distribution:
SW. & S. Cape Prov.
References:
Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999; Index to 'African Orchids I: XXX' by V. S. Summerhayes Janet Redpath, Kew Bulletin, Vol. 27, No. 2 (1972), pp. 337-369
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Holothrix condensata Sond., Linnaea 19: 76 (1846).
Homotypic Names:
Holothrix villosa var. condensata (Sond.) Immelman, Bothalia 13: 456 (1981).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Holothrix lithophila Schltr., Oesterr. Bot. Z. 48: 446 (1898).
Description:
An erect herb, except for the perianth segments, hirsute with spreading pilose hairs, 7-20 cm. high; leaves two, appressed to the ground, radical broadly ovate or orbicular, very unequal 3-6 cm. long; scape nude, usually from above the base widely arcuate decurved; spike secund densely many-flowered, 3-10 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, shorter than the ovary; sepals ovate acute or the odd sepal acuminate, 0,4 cm. long; petals spreading-recurved oblong obtuse, 0,7 cm. long; lip as long as the petals broadly obovate in outline, trifid at the apex, the segments equal or the intermediate larger, spur cylindrical straight, as long as the sepals; caudicles of the pollinia attached to a single transverse gland.
Habitat:
On grassy slopes at elevations of sealevel to 1900 meters.
Distribution:
W. Cape Prov.
References:
Flora Capensis, Vol 5, Part 3, page 3, (1913) Author: (By R. A. ROLFE.); Revision der Gattung Holothrix. (Fortsetzung) R. Schlechter, Österreichische Botanische Zeitschrift, Vol. 48, No. 12 (December 1898), pp. 441-448; Revision der Gattung Holothrix R. Schlechter, Österreichische Botanische Zeitschrift, Vol. 48, No. 11 (November 1898), pp. 413-416; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982
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Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ
Photograph© Hermanus Botanical Society, Fernkloof. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Hermanus Botanical Society, Fernkloof. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Hermanus Botanical Society, Fernkloof. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Hermanus Botanical Society, Fernkloof. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Hermanus Botanical Society, Fernkloof. Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Hermanus Botanical Society, Fernkloof. Image used with kind permission.

Holothrix filicornis Immelman & Schelpe, Bothalia 13: 455 (1981).
Description:
Plants erect, scape without bracts, glabrous, 65-260 mm high; leaves glabrous. Flowers: Sepals glabrous, 1.5-2 x 0.5-1 mm, green tinged with red. Petals trilobed, lobes slightly camose, comprising half to 2h of the total petal length, petal 3-8 x 0.5-1 mm, greenish white. Lip with 5 lobes, slightly camose, lobes comprising 2h to 3/4 of the total lip length, 4.5-9 x 1.5-2.5 mm, greenish white; spur slightly curved, long pendulous, 7-11 mm long.
Habitat:
From Namaqualand (Northern Cape) to southern Namibia; growing in semi-arid areas in rock crevices and on stony slopes. Flowering in July and August, with one record in October.
Note:
This species together with the montane Holothrix scopularia is unusual among the southern African species of Holothrix in having divided petals together with an ebracteate scape. The petals in these two species are always trilobed instead of having a variable number of lobes as is the case with the other species having divided petals. The very long spur, the less strongly secund spike and the different distribution and habitat however easily distinguish Holothrix filicomis from Holothrix scopularia.
Distribution:
SW. Namibia to NW. Cape Prov.

Holothrix longicornu G.J.Lewis, J. S. African Bot. 4: 53 (1938).
Description:
Plants erect, scape without bracts, with dense short retrorse hairs, 65-154 mm high; leaves with dense, soft, short, sinous hairs. Flowers'. Sepals connate at base, glabrous, 1.5-2.5 x c. 0.5 mm. Lip camose, divided into 3-5 short, broadly linear lobes, 2.5-3 x 1-1.5 mm; spur narrowly conical, straight, longer than lip, 3-4 mm long.
Habitat:
Once collected near Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape), and habitat and flowering time are unknown.
Note:
Only the type specimen has been seen but as there are a number of plants in the type gathering and they consistently show these characters the species can be regarded as separate. This species is closely related to Holothrix cernua and Holothrix brevipetala as shown by the retrorse, hispid hairs on the scape.
Distribution:
SW. & S. Cape Prov.