Orchidaceae
Polystachya

Polystachya ramulosa Lindl.

First published in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 24(Misc.): 76 (1838)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to NW. Tanzania. It is a pseudobulbous epiphyte and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

Orchidaceae, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white, yellow or orange, tinged with pink.
[FWTA]

Orchidaceae, V. S. Summerhayes. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
An epiphytic plant 8–30 cm. high, glabrous.
Vegetative Multiplication Pseudobulbs
Pseudobulbs obscure, ovoid, 5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, each shoot 2–3-leaved.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves spreading, elliptic, oblanceolate or oblong -oblanceolate, subacute to obtuse at apex, articulated on petiole 1–3 cm. above the base, 5.5–16 cm. long, 1.5–2.6 cm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence erect, paniculate, produced with or after the leaves, 5–27 cm. long, subtended to lowest branch by 1–3 compressed acute sheaths; branches suberect, densely many-flowered; bracts minute, lanceolate, acuminate, 1.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers very small, pale yellow, orange or greenish yellow, lip pale pink, anther purple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Dorsal sepal ovate, shortly acuminate, 1.8–2 mm. long, 0.9–1.1 mm. wide; lateral sepals obliquely ovate-triangular, to 3.5 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, acute; mentum helmet-shaped, 2.2–2.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals oblong- oblanceolate, 1.2 mm. long, 0.3–0.4 mm. wide, subacute or obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip long-clawed, 3- lobed in apical half, 2.7 mm. long, 1.7 mm. wide; side lobes oblong-ovate, spreading forwards, a little smaller than the mid-lobe; mid-lobe ovate-elliptic, rounded or subacute, 0.8 mm. long, 0.6 mm. wide.
Habitat
Epiphytic in wet forests; 650–900 m.
Distribution
T1 U4
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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