Ansellia africana
| Ansellia africana | ||||||||||||
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Ansellia africana |
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Ansellia | ||||||||||||
| Lindl. | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Ansellia africana | ||||||||||||
| Lindl. |
The Ansellia africana orchid is the only species in the Ansellia genus . It is widespread in tropical Africa and grows epiphytically in seasonally dry regions.
description
The shoots of Ansellia africana sit close together, they are cigar-shaped thickened to pseudobulbs . They reach a length of 10 to 60 (occasionally up to 80) centimeters, with a diameter of one to three centimeters. When young they are green and smooth, later they become yellowish with longitudinal wrinkles. They consist of several internodes , of which only the uppermost leaves bear, underneath paper-like lower leaves envelop the shoot. The branching pattern is sympodial , renewal buds sprout from the base of the shoots. The roots covered by velamen also arise at the base . In addition to the task of anchoring the plant in its place, roots that point upwards are formed to collect falling leaves.
The leaves arise from the top four to ten nodes. They are lanceolate, pointed and reach a length of 15 to 50 centimeters. They are folded along several visible leaf veins.
The panicle inflorescence sits on the side at the end of the shoot. The numerous resupinated flowers have a yellow basic color, on which variable reddish spots can be seen. Pure yellow or yellowish-green blooming specimens are also rare. The petals are similar in shape and size and are not fused together. The individual flower has a diameter of about four to six centimeters. The lip is three-lobed, the side lobes are turned up. The middle lobe is slightly wavy on the edge and has two to three keels in the middle. The column bears a stamen , this contains four pollinia that hang in pairs on an adhesive disc.
The chromosome number is 2n = 42.
distribution
Ansellia africana is widespread in tropical and southern Africa. It is mostly found in areas with a pronounced dry season and inhabits gallery forests and miombo forests there as an epiphyte . It rises from the lowlands to altitudes of 1700 (2000) meters above sea level.
use
Occasionally Ansellia africana is used as an ornamental plant. There are a number of varieties that have been selected based on their flower color. Hybrids have been achieved with some related species.
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Surname
The genus is named after the British gardener and plant collector John Ansell (? -1847). He discovered the plant in 1841 on the island of Fernando Póo , where he cured a tropical fever after a loss-making Niger expedition.
literature
- Isobyl la Croix, Phillip Cribb: Orchidaceae . Flora Zambesiaca. Vol 11/2. 1998, ISBN 0-947643-89-3 .
- Mark A. Hyde, Bart Wursten: Species information - Ansellia africana. In: Flora of Zimbabwe. 2008, accessed March 29, 2010 .
Web links
- Ansellia africana inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Crook, V., 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
Individual evidence
- ^ Ansellia africana at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Cypripedium. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ↑ Lotte Burkhardt: Directory of eponymous plant names . Extended Edition. Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Free University Berlin Berlin 2018. [1]
- ↑ Short biography ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (engl.)
