Habenaria arenaria Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 317 (1835).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Bonatea micrantha Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 329 (1835).
Habenaria micrantha (Lindl.) Rchb.f., Flora 48: 180 (1865), nom. illeg.
Description:
Plants slender, 160-410 mm; basal leaves 2 (-3), spreading, narrowly to broadly elliptic, acute, to 170 x 50 mm, immaculate or indistinctly mottled with grey when fresh, with 2-4 smaller cauline leaves grading into the bracts. Inflorescences lax, few- to many-flowered; bracts lanceolate, acuminate, 8-18 mm long; ovary with pedicel curved, pedicel 5-8 mm long, ovary 10-12 mm long. Flowers green. Median sepal erect, shallowly concave, broadly ovate, obtuse, 3-4 mm long; lateral sepals deflexed, obliquely ovate, acute, c. 5 mm long. Petals simple, ovate-lanceolate, curved, acute, with an anterior basal auricle, as long as the median sepal and adherent to it. Lip tripartite; midlobe narrowly oblong, (4-) 6-7 mm long; side lobes spreading, linear, (3-) 4-6 mm long; spur with a tooth c. 1.5 mm tall, incurved, slightly inflated near the apex, then tapering, 15-20 mm long. Anther acute, c. 1.5 mm tall, canals strongly incurved, c. 0.5 mm long; stigmatic processes incurved, c. 0.5 mm long; central rostellum lobe triangular, c. 1 mm long.
Habitat:
Shaded, seasonally dry habitats in coastal dune scrub to inland forest.
Distribution:
Mozambique to S. Africa
References:
Kurzweil, H; Linder, HP. 1999. Orchids of Southern Africa. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam; Orchidaceae, I. la Croix and P.J. Cribb. Flora Zambesiaca 11:1. 1995; Flora Capensis, Vol 5, Part 3, page 3, (1913) Author: (By R. A. ROLFE.)
Images:
Click on each image to see a larger version.

In culture	In culture	In culture
Photograph Karl Senghas© Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz Image used with kind permission.	Photograph Karl Senghas© Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz Image used with kind permission.	Photograph© Rogier van Vugt. Image used with kind permission.