e-Key v3 - Rangaeris
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Orchidaceae - Epidendroideae - Vandeae - Rangaeris (Schltr.) Summerh.

Description :

  • Epiphytic monopodial herbs, with short or long leafy stems, without pseudobulbs
  • Leaves leathery, ligulate to oblanceolate, deeply keeled, acute to unequally bilobed
  • Inflorescences few- to several-flowered racemes; flowers small or relatively large, usually white or yellowish
  • Sepals and petals subsimilar, free, spreading to recurved
  • Lip ovate to lanceolate, sometimes obscurely trilobed at base, with long spur
  • Gynostemium long or short, without column-foot; anther operculate, produced into broad obtuse beak; pollinia 2, pyriform, attached by 2 separate stipes to single large viscidium; rostellum bifid
  • Capsule fusiform, often rather elongate
  • x = 23 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

  • Rangaeris (Schltr.) Summerh.
    • Summerhayes: 227 (1936)
    • Summerhayes: 435 (1949)
    • Harrison: 51 (1972)
    • Stewart et al.: 265 (1982)
    • Linder & Kurzweil: 444 (1999)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species 6, tropical and subtropical Africa
  • Southern Africa : Species 1: Rangaeris muscicola (Rchb.f.) Summerh., Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape

References:

  • HARRISON, E.R. 1972. Epiphytic orchids of southern Africa . Natal Branch of the Wildlife Society of Southern Africa
  • LINDER, H.P. & KURZWEIL, H. 1999. Orchids of southern Africa . A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam
  • STEWART, J., LINDER, H.P., SCHELPE, E.A. & HALL, A.V. 1982. Wild orchids of southern Africa . Macmillan, Johannesburg
  • SUMMERHAYES, V.S. 1936. African orchids VIII. Kew Bulletin 1936
  • SUMMERHAYES, V.S. 1949. African orchids XIX. Kew Bulletin 1949