Orchidaceae
Satyrium

Satyrium carsonii Rolfe

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 7: 265 (1898)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Nigeria to Kenya and Zambia. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry 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: low confidence
[AERP]

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

Morphology General Habit
A terrestrial herb up to 2 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
White or pink-tinged rather waxy flowers
Ecology
In grasslands.
[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Terrestrial herb 25–65 cm tall; tubers 1–3 cm long, ovoid or ellipsoid, tomentose.
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves 2, appressed to ground, the larger up to 6 × 10 cm, ovate, orbicular or reniform, glabrous, rather fleshy; stem with c. 4 sheathing leaves, 2–6.5 cm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 4–16 × 3–6 cm, fairly densely few- to c. 20-flowered.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers scented, white, the tips of the spurs green.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary c. 10 mm long, with 6 wings.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts up to 30 × 17 mm, reflexed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Sepals and petals projecting or deflexed, joined shortly at base to each other and to the lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Median sepal 7–17 × 3–4 mm, oblong, obtuse; lateral sepals 9–20 × 4.5–7 mm, obliquely oblanceolate, obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 7–14 × 2.5–5 mm, oblanceolate, rounded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip 9–16 mm long with 2–3 mm reflexed at apex, 11–14 mm wide when spread out, very convex, forming a hood with a prominent keel.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Spur
Spurs 8–10 mm long, tapering from a wide mouth to an acute apex, parallel to ovary.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column
Column 4–7 mm high, curved; stigma 2–3 × 3–4 mm; rostellum mid-lobe 1.5 × 1.5 mm.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
A terrestrial herb 2.5–6.5 dm. high, glabrous except for the roots.
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers
Tubers ovoid or narrowly ellipsoid, 1–3 cm. long, ± 1 cm. in diameter, tomentose.
Morphology Roots
Roots flexuous, slender, pubescent.
Morphology Stem
Stem erect, terete, with 2 basal leaves and several distant sheaths.
Morphology Leaves
Two basal leaves subopposite, broadly ovate to reniform, adpressed to the ground, 1.5–6 cm. long, 1–9.5 cm. broad; sheathing leaves 3–5, scattered along the stem, lanceolate, 2–6.5 cm. long, 1–2 cm. broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence rather dense, 4–15 cm. long, 3–5 cm. in diameter, 3–18-flowered; bracts at first erect, later reflexed, lanceolate, 1.5–3 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers spreading, white; pedicel with ovary straight, ± 1 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals ± deflexed, united shortly at the base to the petals and lip; intermediate sepal oblanceolate or oblong, obtuse, 7.5–17 mm. long, 3–4 mm. broad; laterals obliquely oblanceolate, rounded at apex, 9.5–19 mm. long, 3–7 mm. broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals oblanceolate, rounded at apex, 8–15 mm. long, 2.5–5 mm. broad; all tepals several-nerved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Labellum
Lip erect, very convex and almost hooded, with a broad mouth and a projecting ± curved-back apex, 9–16.5 mm. long and ± as broad when spread out, 2-spurred at the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Spur
Spurs parallel to the ovary, ± curved, tapering from a broad base, 6–14 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column
Column ± enclosed in the lip, bow-shaped towards the back, 4–7 mm. high, the stalk thick, curved; anther-loculi horizontal, within the bend of the column; stigma semi-orbicular, 2–3 mm. high and 3–4 mm. broad, rostellum side lobes short, triangular, the middle lobe much larger, projecting downwards with apical part hooked upwards, ovate, acute.
Habitat
Open grassland or at edge of Brachystegia woodland; 1450–2100 m.
Distribution
K2 K3 K5 T4 T7 T8 U1 Nigeria eastwards to Congo Republic, Zambia and Malawi
[FTEA]

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 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

    • 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