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Very little is known about indigenous orchids by the public who are largely unaware that there are just under 500 species of which 45 are endemic (only occur in South Africa). Very little research has been carried out regarding ecology, conservation and propagation although a number of species have become extinct and habitat destruction is progressing at an alarming rate. Up until now there has been no attempt to address these issues on a National scale and Provincial legislation and cooperation is fragmented. Only through a focused National integrated effort that engages the public and all roll players will survival of orchids be assured.
Angraecum conchiferum
- Angraecum conchiferum by Lourens Grobler
Description
Slender, hanging epiphyte, with stems up to 300mm long, branching and often tangled. Leaves 8-16 adjacent, narrowly strap shaped and unequally bilobed, 4-8 mm long. Inflorescences one to several, lateral, opposite leaves. Flower stalk 20-30 mm long, with a single flower. Flowers non-resupinate, petals, sepals and spur cream to yellowish green, lip white.
Angraecum cultriforme
- Angraecum cultriforme by Oskar Kurze
Description
Slender epiphyte, with stems up to 250mm long. Leaves in 2 rows, strap shaped, unequally bilobed with each lobe tapering to a point, dull green in colour. Inflorescences lateral, one to several, opposite leaves and carrying 1-4 flowers. Flowers are pale salmon in colour.
Angraecum pusillum
- Angraecum pusillum by Martin Rautenbach
Description
Dwarf epiphyte, with stems up to 25mm long. Leaves 5-10, leaf like, in a terminal cluster at the stem. Inflorescences lateral, several and emerging from below the leaves, up to 100mm long and carrying 4-15 flowers. Flowers are white to cream in colour.
Angraecum sacciferum
- Angraecum sacciferum by Martin Rautenbach
Description
Dwarf twig epiphyte, with stems up to 40mm long. Leaves 4-8, stiff, nearly erect, strap shaped, unevenly bilobed. Inflorescences, near lateral, one to several, emerging below the leaves and carrying one to five flowers, which are lime green in colour.
Angraecum stella-africae
Description
Slender epiphyte, with stems up to 15 cm. Leaves 5-6, spreading horizontally, greenish grey and linear. Inflorescences 1 or 2, arising from below the leaves, single large flower, which is greenish white. Spur up to 150mm long. Formerly A. sp. aff. rutenbergianum.
Ansellia africana
Description
Robust epiphyte, which can grow to over 1 m tall. Also known as the leopard orchid and is the official emblem of the Witwatersrand Orchid Society (WOS). Single species genus. Pseudobulbs cylindrical with nodes and up to 700 mm tall, with 4 - 10 leaves on each one at the top half of the pseudobulb. Flowers are 25 - 50 mm across. Colour varies from pure yellow to yellow marked with dark chocolate spots to almost completely brown with very little yellow. Lip varies from yellow to blotched with darker markings through to almost red in colour. The lip is three lobed with two to three callus ridges along the mid lobe. Inflorescence usually at the top of the pseudobulb, but also laterally below the leaves. No scent detectable. This is a single species genus.
Syn: Ansellia africana var. australis, Ansellia gigantea var. gigantia, Ansellia gigantea var. nilotica.
Bartholina burmanniana
- Bartholina burmanniana by Karsten Wodrich
Description
Slender terrestrial up to 230 mm tall. Has 1 leaf, that is circular and flat on the ground. Inflorescence hairy and carries a single flower. The sepals are greenish and the petals and lip are a pale greyish white to pale mauve. This is a single species genus.
Bartholina etheliae
- Bartholina etheliae by Duncan McFarlane
Description
Slender terrestrial up to 300 tall. Has 1 leaf, flat on the ground, circular, up to 36 x 24mm. Inflorescence hairy, single flowered. Flowers have green sepals, petals and lip pale lilac-blue, terminals have white knobs. Sepals up to 20mm long, petals linear to spear-shaped, up to 20mm long. Lip spreading, fan shaped, divided into 4-6 lobes, comprised of numerous thread-like segments with terminal knobs. Spur up to 14mm long.
Bolusiella maudiae
- Bolusiella maudiae by Peter Ashton
Description
Miniature epiphyte up to 50mm tall. Stemless, roots thin and numerous. Leaves 3-10, succulent and overlapping to form a fan. Inflorescence lateral, ascending, with 8-16 flowers in nearly opposite rows. White with a green spur and 4mm wide. Sepals and petals similar, spur 1.5mm long. This is a single species genus.
Bonatea boltonii
- Bonatea boltonii by Lourens Grobler
Description
Slender terrestrial of variable height, from 100 mm to 750 mm. Leaves 5-13, cauline, oblong to broadly spear-shaped, up to 178 mm long.The numbers of flowers is similarly variable, between 3 and 20. Leaves are cauline and broadly spear shaped. Inflorescence is the continuation of the stem. Flowers are green and white. Median sepal erect, up to 19 mm long. Lateral sepals slightly deflexed, up to 20 mm long. Petals divided, upper petal lobe up to 18 mm long. Lower petal lobe linear, spreading horizontally. Lip 3-lobed, from a short and narrow base. Spur somewhat swollen towards apex, up to 51 mm long. Similar to Bonatea antennifera but has shorter stigmatic arms with a spatula-shaped, deflexed stigma and Bonatea speciosa where it has a shorter club-shaped spur apex.
Bonatea cassidea
Description
Slender terrestrial, up to 640 mm tall. Leaves 5-13, cauline and spear shaped, sometimes withered at flowering time. Inflorescence is by way of a continuation of the stem and carries up to 35 flowers, which are green and white, where the lip midlobe and petal lobes are white in western populations and green in eastern populations. Spur up to 26mm long. Pollinated by butterflies. Syn: Bonatea saundersiae.
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