Bonatea lamprophylla
| Bonatea lamprophylla | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bonatea lamprophylla | ||||||||||||
| J. Stewart |
Bonatea lamprophylla is an extremely rare or already extinct species of orchid that in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa endemic is or was.
features
Bonatea lamprophylla reaches a height of 1.2 meters. The glossy dark green leaves have ruffled edges. The tubers are elongated. The 160 millimeter long inflorescence consists of six to thirteen individual flowers. The green and white flowers are about 110 millimeters long. The petals are bilobed, the upper lobe is linear, pointed, curved upwards and whitish. The lip is three-lobed. The middle lobe is linear, obtuse, and sharply curved near the center. The side lobes are thread-like, light green and between 130 and 160 millimeters long. The spur is swollen on the pointed side instead of the flattened side. The flowering period is from September to October.
habitat
The habitat are shady places in dune forests.
status
In 2003 only one specimen was found and since then the species has been considered lost. Only three populations are known from the historic sites of Lake Sibaya , Mabibi Beach, and Lala Nek . The greatest threat was the overexploitation by orchid collectors and clearing . It is in Appendix II of the Washington Convention on Species Protection .
literature
- ME Ponsie, TJ Edwards, SD Johnson: A taxonomic revision of Bonatea Willd. (Orchidaceae: Orchidoideae: habenariinae) . In: South African Journal of Botany . Volume 73, Issue 1, January 2007, pages 1-21.