Rhipidoglossum brachyceras (Summerh.) Farminhão & Stévart, Phytotaxa 349: 252 (2018).
Homotypic Names:
Aerangis brachyceras Summerh., Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1934: 213 (1934).
Rangaeris brachyceras (Summerh.) Summerh., Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1936: 228 (1936).
Cribbia brachyceras (Summerh.) Senghas, Orchidee (Hamburg) 36: 19 (1985).
Azadehdelia brachyceras (Summerh.) Braem, Schlechteriana 1: 34 (1988).
Angraecopsis brachyceras (Summerh.) R.Rice, Prelim. Checklist & Survey Subtrib. Aerangidinae (Orchidac.): 19 (2005).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Rangaeris biglandulosa Summerh., Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1936: 228 (1936).
Description:
An epiphytic or lithophytic herb. Stem erect, leafy, terete, up to 20 cm long; densely covered below by numerous flexuous shortly densely hairy roots , above by distichous leaves. Leaves suberect or erect-spreading, straight, linear-oblong, unequally roundly bilobed at the apex, 8 - 13 x 0.7 - 1.3 cm, articulated below to a sheathing persistent leaf base. Inflorescences several from the axils of the lower leaf sheaths, suberect, simple, 4 - 13 cm long, subdensely 7- to 15-flowered; peduncle and rhachis terete, wiry; bracts broadly lanceolate, acute or acuminate, 2.5 - 5 mm long. Flowers pale yellow or white; pedicel and ovary 4 - 5 mm long. Dorsal sepal oblong-lanceolate, acute, 5.5 - 7 x 1.5 - 2 mm; lateral sepals linear-oblong, or linear-oblanceolate, acute, 6 - 7.5 x 1.2 - 1.5 mm. Petals oblong or elliptic-oblong, obtuse or rounded at apex, 5 - 5.5 x 1.4 - 2 mm. Lip entire, ecallose, broadly lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or shortly acuminate, 5.5 x 3 mm; spur cylindric, slightly inflated at the apex, slightly incurved, 5 - 6 mm long. Column slightly incurved, 2 mm long, with a short foot; rostellum 3-lobed, side lobes slightly shorter than the midlobe.
Habitat:
Epiphyte on mossy tree trunks in gallery forest, montane forest, sclerophyllous scrub on old lava flows; 1500 - 1800 m.
Cultivation:
As given for the genus, cool to cold growing epiphyte.
Distribution:
Trop. Africa
References:
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006; La Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1998). Orchidaceae (Part 2) Flora Zambesiaca 11(2) Pages 409 - 411; WCSP (2017). 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 25.02-2017; http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
Images:
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Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ
Photograph©Backmann. Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz Image used with kind permission.	Photograph©Backmann. Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz Image used with kind permission.	Photograph©Backmann. Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz Image used with kind permission.