Orchidaceae
Disperis

Disperis aphylla Kraenzl. ex De Wild. & T.Durand

First published in Bull. Soc. Roy. Bot. Belgique, Compt.-Rend. 38: 71 (1899)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Congo to Kenya and Angola. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/179549/1582425

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

Orchidaceae, I. la Croix and P.J. Cribb. Flora Zambesiaca 11:1. 1995

Morphology General Habit
Terrestrial herb 6–16 cm tall, the stem greenish-white with purple streaks; tubers 10–20 × 5–10 mm, ovoid or globose.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 2 (1 or absent in subsp. aphylla), opposite or subopposite, purple on the undersurface, 2–3 × 1.5–2.5 cm, ovate; margins undulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 1–5-flowered; flowers white or pale lilac-pink, the sepals darker towards the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel and Ovary
Ovary and pedicel purplish, 10–14 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts leaf-like, 9–13 × 3–5 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Lateral sepals free, 7–9 × 2–3 mm, obliquely ovate, slightly curved, each with a sac-like spur c. 1.5 mm long. Dorsal sepal 9–10.5 mm long from apex to top of spur and 5–6 mm long from top of spur to apex of ovary, adnate to petals to form a fairly slender spur 3–4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals c. 7 × 3 mm, triangular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip with a linear claw 2–4.5 mm long, reflexed near the apex; limb short and narrow and just before the apex bearing 2 linear, 2-lobed, papillate appendages c. 2 mm long.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0