Polystachya vaginata Summerh. 1947 publ. 1948 SECTION Isochloides Summerh.
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Plant and Flowers in situ Zimbabwe
Photo by Bart Wursten ©, and his Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite
Common Name The Several Sheathed Polystachya
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe in deciduous woodlands and on hills in drier areas at elevations of 1000 to 1650 meters as a small sized, coolgrowing epiphyte or lithophyte with close set, long chained, basally swollen, round to conical elongate, gradually narrowing above to 2 to 4, deciduous at blooming, linear-ligulate, almost grass-like, obscuely bilobed apically, leaves that blooms at most any time of the year on a terminal, erecct, 5 to 10" [15 to 25 cm] long, simple to few branched, 2 to 5 flowered inflorescence enveloped by flattened sheaths and carrying primrose scented flowers.
Synonyms Isochilostachya vaginata (Summerh.) Mytnik & Szlach. 2011
ReferencesW3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of East Africa Piers 1968; The Epiphytic Orchids of Malawi Morris 1970; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing fide; Malawi Orchids vol 1 La Croix 1983 drawing fide; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 2 Pope 1998 drawing fide; Orchids of Kenya Stewart 1996;
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