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| Synonyms: |
Tridactyle sp. (Williamson & Nelson 388) of Williamson, Orch. S. Centr. Africa: 202 (1977). |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Small epiphytic herb with an erect stem, up to c. 8 cm long. Leaves in 2–6 pairs, distichous, linear, 4–8 cm long, folded along the length, 2-lobed at the apex. Inflorescences arising at the base of the stem base and in the lower leaf axils, 1–2-flowered. Peduncle 2–3 cm long, pubescent. Flowers non-resupinate, c. 8 mm in diameter, greenish to orange-straw-coloured. Dorsal sepal ovate or elliptic, 4 mm long; lateral sepals obliquely falcate, 4.5 mm long. Petals oblong-lanceolate, 4 mm long. Lip fleshy, obscurely 3-lobed, 4 mm long and wide, erose on the margins; spur 13–16 mm long, slender but slightly swollen at the apex. |
| Type location: |
Malawi |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | williamsonii: after Graham Williamson (1932-), dentist in Zambia who collected extensive data on orchids in Zambia and the Nyika in Malawi; author of Orchids of South-central Africa (1977). |
| Habitat: | Low-level epiphyte in evergreen forest, growing among mosses and lichens. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | 2200 - 2350 m |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Only known from the Nyika Plateau in Malawi and southern Tanzania |
| National distribution: | N |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | Near Endemic |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 318. (Includes a picture). Cribb, P.J. (1977). New orchids from South Central Africa Kew Bulletin 32(1) Pages 182 - 184. (Includes a picture). Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1989). The flora and phytogeography of the evergreen forests of Malawi. I: Afromontane and mid-altitude forests; Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 59(1/2) Page 27. La Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1998). Orchidaceae (Part 2) Flora Zambesiaca 11(2) Pages 406 - 407. (Includes a picture). La Croix, I. et al. (1983). Malawi Orchids Volume 1 Epiphytic Orchids National Fauna Preservation Society of Malawi Pages 60 - 61. (Includes a picture). La Croix, I. et al. (1991). Orchids of Malawi A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam Page 261. (Includes a picture). Williamson, G. (1977). The Orchids of South Central Africa J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., London. Pages 202 - 203. As Tridactyle sp. (Williamson & Nelson 388) (Includes a picture). |
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