Habenaria humilior Rchb.f., Otia Bot. Hamburg.: 100 (1881).
Homotypic Synonyms:
Bilabrella humilior (Rchb.f.) Szlach. & Kras-Lap., Richardiana 3: 140 (2003).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Habenaria replicata Hochst. ex A.Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 296 (1850), nom. illeg.
Habenaria rehmannii Bolus, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 25: 169 (1889).
Habenaria hochstetteriana Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 16: 73 (1893).
Habenaria culiciflora Rendle, J. Bot. 33: 278 (1895).
Habenaria tetrapetaloides Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 20(50): 34 (1895).
Habenaria kassneriana Kraenzl., Vierteljahrsschr. Naturf. Ges. Zürich 74: 104 (1929), nom. illeg.
Bilabrella rehmannii (Bolus) Szlach. & Kras, Richardiana 6: 197 (2006).
Bilabrella tetrapetaloides (Schltr.) Szlach. & Kras, Richardiana 6: 197 (2006).
Bilabrella hochstetteriana (Kraenzl. & Schltr.) Szlach. & Kras, Richardiana 9: 158 (2009).
Bilabrella pseudokaessneriana Szlach. & Kras, Richardiana 9: 159 (2009).
Bilabrella replicata Szlach. & Kras, Richardiana 9: 159 (2009).
Description:
A terrestrial herb 1-5-7 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots and petals. Tubers globose, ellipsoid or ovoid, 1-2 cm. long, 0.7-1.5 cm. in diameter, glabrous or sparsely tomentose. Stem erect, rather stout, leafy throughout its length. Leaves 7-13, the lowermost 1-2 sometimes reduced to sheaths, the middle 4-7 suberect or more often ± spreading, lanceolate or almost linear, acute, the largest 6-23 cm. long and 0.5-1.5 (rarely -2.3) cm. broad, the upper ones adpressed to the stem, much smaller, lanceolate, similar to the lower bracts. Inflorescence 5-25 cm. long, 3.5-5 cm. in diameter, rather laxly to densely 6- to many-flowered. Bracts rather thin and chaffy, lanceolate, acuminate, 1-2 cm. long, usually somewhat shorter than the pedicel with ovary. Flowers spreading, green or greenish-white; pedicel with ovary straight or ± curved, 1.5-2 cm. long. Dorsal sepal reflexed, narrowly elliptical, obtuse, convex, 4-6.5 mm. long, 1.5—3 mm. broad; laterals deflexed, obliquely obovate with apiculum lateral, 6-9.5 mm. long, 3-5 mm. broad. Petals bipartite nearly to the base; posterior (upper) lobe ± reflexed, linear, 4-6 mm. long, ± 0.5 mm. broad, ciliolate; anterior lobe much longer and broader, elliptical-ligulate, narrowly oblong or oblong-lanceolate, usually obtuse, 6-11 mm. long, 1.5-3 mm. broad. Lip deflexed, tripartite from an undivided base less than I mm. long; middle lobe linear, incurved, obtuse, 6-11.5 mm. long, 0.5-1 mm. broad; side lobes lanceolate-linear, acute, 5-9 mm. long, about as broad as the middle lobe ; spur parallel to the ovary and ± incurved, only slightly twisted, swollen in the apical half, 1.5-2.5 cm. long. Anther 1.5-3 mm. high, loculi reclinate, canals porrect or slightly incurved, 3-4.5 mm. long; stigmas porrect, widened and truncate at very apex, 3-5 mm. long, rostellum narrowly triangular, acute, ± 2 mm. long.
Habitat:
Montane grasslands,grassy dambos, damp places in woodlandsclearings, shallow poorly drained soil over rocks. 1200-2400 m.
Phenology:
Flowering in January-July.
Notes:
Apparently related to Habenaria huillensis but floral bracts are shorter than the pedicel and ovary, both anterior petal lobes ca. twice longer than posterior, and stigmaphores are 3-5 mm long.
Cultivation:
As described for the genus
Distribution:
The Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)?, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe. Alt. 1200-2400 m.
References:
Orchidaceae of West-central Africa, vol. 1, Gdansk University Press Gdansk 2010; La Croix, I. et al. (1991). Orchids of Malawi A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam; La Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1995). Orchidaceae (Part 1) Flora Zambesiaca 11(1); Flora of Tropical East Africa Summerhayes Orchidaceae Part 1 1968
Images:
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Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ	Habitat/In situ
Photograph© Nicholas Case Wightman Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Nicholas Case Wightman Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Nicholas Case Wightman Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Nicholas Case Wightman Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Nicholas Case Wightman Image used with kind permission.