Disperis nemorosa

Summerhayes, V. B., 1968, Orchidaceae (Part 1) part., Flora of Tropical East Africa 1 (1) : 227-229

13. D. nemorosa Rendle

in J.B. 33: 297 (1895); Schltr. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. 6: 950 (1898); Rolfe in F.T.A. 7: 292 (1898); Piers, Orch. E. Afr.: 42 (1959). Type: Uganda, Ruwenzori, Wimi, Scott Elliot 7944 (K, holo.!)

Herb, 8-28 cm. tall, arising from 1-2 round or oblong tubers 1-2-5 cm. long, 0-8-1 cm. wide, spreading by tuber-bearing underground stems. Leaves 2-4, opposite, sessile or shortly petiolate, sheathing at the base, ovate, 2-5-6-S cm. long, 1-8-4 cm. wide, acute or acuminate, cuneate to truncate above the sheath. Racemes 1-4-flowered; flowers white or white and mauve; bracts leaf-like, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 0-6-2 cm. long, 0-4-1 cm. wide, acuminate. Intermediate sepal joined with petals to form a very slender spur, 0-9-1-5 cm. long, white or sometimes with pinkish or mauve marks, often green at the apex; lateral sepals irregularly oblong, oblique, 7-8 mm. long, 4-5-5 mm. wide, obtuse, ± free, white, bearing sacs 1-1-5 mm. long. Petals rounded, broadly rounded at the free apex, auriculate at the base. Lip light mauve or green suffused with purple, with a slender flattened claw 0-9-1-1 cm. long, ending in a sharply reflexed linear limb 1-5-2 mm. long and bearing at this point a long appendage 0-9-1-2 cm. long directed back

to the open end of the spur; appendage linear-oblanceolate, broadened and shortly bifid apically, bearing a pair of spreading oblong obtuse lobes 1 mm. long just before the extreme apex. Fig. 41.

Uganda. Ruwenzori, R. Ruimi [Wixni], June 1894, Scott Elliot 7944! & Kamwamba valley, Jan. 1935, Q. Taylor 2813!

Kenya. Elgeyo District: Cherangani Hills, Sept. 1935, Dale in F.D. 3443!; Masai District: ChyuluSouth, July 1938, Bally 1104 & 1127 (inC.M. 7874)!; TeitaDistrict: Mwangoji, July 1937, Dale 3790!

Tanganyika. Arusha District: Ngurdoto Crater National Park, near Longil Swamp, June 1965, Greenway & Kanuri 11902!; W. Usambara Mts., Magamba Gap, June 1951, J. E. Eggeling in W. J. Eggeling 6149!; Iringa District: 80 kin. NE. of Iringa, Mt. Image, Mar. 1962, Polhill & Paulo 1630!

Distr. U2; K3-7; T2, 3, 7; probably occurs in the Congo Republic Hab. Mossy places and leaf-litter on floor of evergreen, mist- and bamboo-forests; 1800-2550 m.

Syn. D. centrocorys Schltr . in E.J. 53: 549 (1915) & in F.R. Beih. 68, t. 43/170 (1932).

Type: Tanganyika, S. Rungwe Mts., Stolz 1192 (B, holo. j -, K, iso.!)

Note. A fruiting specimen, Pirozynski 625! (Tanganyika, Kigoma District, Mkenke stream valley, Mar. 1964), may belong to either this species or the next and has leaves 8 cm. long, 4-5 cm. wide. Without flowering material it is not possible to identify members of this genus.