Summary
The holomycotrophic terrestrial orchids of tropical Africa are reassessed. Two new species of Gastrodia from tropical Africa are described, G. rwandensis from Rwanda and G. ballii from south-central Africa. The genus now comprises three species in tropical Africa. A key is provided to distinguish them from Gastrodia africana Kraenzl.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Jane Browning for alerting us to the existence of John Ball’s original orchid drawings and for supplying the black and white line drawings based on his original sketches of Gastrodia ballii and of G. rwandensis by E. Fischer. Martin Cheek has provided useful comments on the manuscript. E. Fischer and D. Killmann would like to thank the Institute for Scientific and Technological Research (IRST) in Butare, the “Projet de Conservation de la Forêt de Nyungwe” (PCFN) and the “Bureau de Jumelage Rhénanie-Palatinat/Rwanda” for logistical support during fieldwork. They are grateful to the Rwanda Office for Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN), now part of the Rwanda Development Board, for collection and export permits. Finally, they are indebted to Bonny Dumbo for his great companionship and support during field work.
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Accepted for publication May 2010.
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Cribb, P., Fischer, E. & Killmann, D. A revision of Gastrodia (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae, Gastrodieae) in tropical Africa. Kew Bull 65, 315–321 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-010-9193-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-010-9193-4