Orchidaceae, I. la Croix & P.J. Cribb. Flora Zambesiaca 11:2. 1998
Hot dry deciduous woodland on sandy soils, at low altitudes, forming colonies usually on the margins of seasonal pans and river banks
Terrestrial herb.Pseudobulbs 6–14 × 1–2 cm, cylindrical to narrowly conical, mostly above ground; roots stout, 3–4 mm in diameter.Leaves 4–5, up to 38 cm long, 0.8–1.5 cm wide, linear, acute, leathery, the edges finely serrated.Inflorescence 40–60 cm tall, unbranched, up to about 20-flowered.Sepals olive-green, petals maroon with green veins, lip mainly green veined with maroon, the crests whitish, the tip white; spur tipped with purple-red.Sepals 13–20 × 2–3 mm, narrowly oblong to oblanceolate, acute, the tips curled back, the dorsal erect, the laterals spreading.Petals 13–20 × 4 mm, lanceolate, acute.Lip 16–20 mm long, with crests formed of 3 double rows of dense, long papillae, rather obscurely 3-lobed, the side lobes rounded, tapering into the mid-lobe; mid-lobe 5–7 × 3–4 mm, triangular, subacute, the edges crisped; spur 3–5 mm long, cylindrical, bent forwards.Column 9–11 mm long, with a papilla 1.2 mm long on either side of the rostellum.Capsules c. 4 × 1.5 cm, pendent on pedicel 1.5 cm long.
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
