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Habenaria heyneana Lindl.

In Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 320 (1835) 

  • Habenaria candida Dalzell in Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 2: 262 (1850)

  • Habenaria glabra A.Rich. in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 15: 75 (1841)

  • Habenaria heyneana var. subpubens (A.Rich.) Pradhan in Indian Orchids: Guide Identif. & Cult. 2: 684 (1979)

  • Habenaria subpubens A.Rich. in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 15: 75 (1841)

  • Platanthera heyneana Lindl. in N.Wallich, Numer. List: n.° 7044 (1832), nom. nud.

Ecology: Terrestrial herbs, 8-45 cm tall, growing in open grass land on laterite soil in evergreen forest   

Tubers 1 or 2, somewhat ovoid or oblong-ovoid. 

Leaves: alternately imbricating or sub distichous to distichous, coriaceous, 1-7x 0.5-2 cm, narrowly oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, rarely ovate, acute, often mucronulate. 

Inflorescence:  5-15cm long, 6 -12 flowered, lax (rarely dense), secund or subsecund. 

Flowers: bracteate, shortly pedicellate, greenish-white when young, turning yellowish with age and black on drying. 

Bracts: 12x4mm; longer or shorter than the flowers: oblong to oblanceolate, acute. 

Sepals unequal, greenish-white when young, turning yellowish with age, acute, rarely mucronulate, I-nerved, the nerve somewhat keeled below
Dorsal sepal 7-9 X 2-5 mm, oblong or oblong- elliptic
Lateral sepals 9 x2-4 mm, subfalcate, somewhat oblique, oblong lanceolate. or narrowly oblong. 

Petals: 4-7 x 1.5-3 mm, similar coloured as the sepals, somewhat falcate, linear or narrowly oblong acute, 1-nerved. 

Labellum 5-10x4-6 mm, similarly coloured as the sepals 3 lobed, a little before the middle, the lobes deflexed; lateral lobes are shorter than the middle one, falcate, narrowly-oblong, entire, acute; mid lobe oblong or elliptic-oblong, slightly tapering to the acute or obtuse apex

Capsule strongly ribbed &beaked
Flowering: August- September

Fruiting: October 


It is commonly called tooth brush orchid locally 

Spur about 6cm long, narrowly linear, straight, widening out uniformly from a little before the  
Column with the anthers very small; pollinia globular with somewhat large globular viscidium  
Stigmatic processes clavate. large for the column. Ovary 1-4 cm, stalk about 3mm long 

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