Orchidaceae
Disperis

Disperis reichenbachiana Welw. ex Rchb.f.

First published in Flora 48: 180 (1865)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Slender terrestrial herb 7–25 cm tall; tuber 5–20 × 5–10 mm, ellipsoid or globose.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 2–4, alternate, dark green with white veins above, purple below, 1.7 × 1–3 cm, ovate or lanceolate-ovate, cordate at base. Immature plants have 2 opposite leaves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 1–4-flowered.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers mauve-pink, the petals paler mauve with a dark comma-shaped mark; the lip whitish, yellow towards apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel and Ovary
Ovary and pedicel 13–15 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts leaf-like, 0.5–2 cm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Lateral sepals 9–10.5 × 3.5–5.5 mm, obliquely elliptical, joined for c. 2 mm at base, each with shallow sac c. 1 mm deep. Dorsal sepal 7–8 × 1–2 mm, joined to petals to form shallow hood 6–8.5 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 6–10 × 2–3.5 mm, obliquely elliptical.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip 6.5–8 mm long, the claw bent back on itself and bearing there a 2-lobed, papillose appendage; the claw ending in a fleshy, papillose, oblong appendage joined by its middle to the end of the claw.
[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

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/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