Polystachya greatrexii Summerh. 1966 SECTION Eurychila Summerhayes

Photo by © Lourens Grobler.

Plant in situ Zimbabwe

Photo by Bart Wursten ©, and his Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite

FragrancePart Shade WarmColdSpring

Common Name The Greatrex's Polystachya [English Orchid Enthusiast 1900's]

Flower Size .3" [.7 cm]

Found in Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe in high rainfall woodlands and evergreen forests at elevations of 900 to 2100 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm to cold growing epiphyte and occasional lithophyte with chain-like, round, purplish pseudobulbs carrying deciduous, divergent, linear, obtuse to shortly bilobed apically leaves that are not present at blooming which is in the spring on a terminal, 1 to 2" [3 to 5 cm] long, densely to 10 flowered, pubescent, racemose inflorescence and carries non-resupinate, primrose scented flowers.

Synonyms Polystachya couloniana Geerinck & Arbonn. 1996 publ. 1997

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of South Central Africa Williamson 1977 drawing/photo fide; Malawi Orchids vol 1 La Croix 1983 drawing fide; Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 2 Cribb 1984 drawing fide; Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997 photo ok; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidcaceae Part 2 Pope 1998 drawing good; Orchid Digest vol 71 #3 2007photo fide; Orchidaceae of West Central Africa Vol 2 Szlachetko etal 2015 drawing good; AOS Bulletin Vol 89 #1 2020 photo fide

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------