Orchidaceae
Disperis

Disperis thomensis Summerh.

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1937: 458 (1937)
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, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit
A terrestrial or epiphytic herb 3-8 in. high
Morphology Leaves
Leaves green or bronzy above, purplish beneath
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 1-6, in a short raceme, white with faint purplish markings
Ecology
In forests.
[FWTA]

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: low confidence
[AERP]

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

Morphology General Habit
Terrestrial herb 9–15 cm tall; tuber c. 1 cm long ± cylindrical, woolly.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 2, opposite, dark green, shortly petiolate, sheathing at the base, 2–5 × 1.3–3.5 cm, ovate, shortly acuminate, the margins undulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 1–4-flowered; flowers white marked with green and purple, held horizontally.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 12–17 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts leaf-like, of similar length.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Dorsal sepal lanceolate, acute, concave, bent above the middle, joined to petals to form a hood c. 5 mm long. Lateral sepals free, 5–6 × 2.5–3 mm, obliquely obovate, aristate at the apex, with incurved, conical spur 2–2.5 mm long near inner edge.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5.3–6.5 mm long, narrowly oblong, the front edge with a rounded lobe at base, the posterior edge with a suberect median lobe 1.5 mm long; apex shortly bifurcate, the anterior fork longer than the posterior.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip 4.5–7 mm long, the apex bent abruptly inwards and shortly apiculate, the front face joined to the apex of 2 papillose appendages; appendages 6 mm long, 2-lobed with one lobe straight, the other recurved.
[FZ]

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • 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/

  • 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