Disperis lanceana H. Perrier

Croix, Isobyl la, Bosser, Jean & Cribb, Phillip J., 2002, The genus Disperis (Orchidaceae) in Madagascar, the Comores, the Mascarenes and the Seychelles, Adansonia (3) 24 (1), pp. 55-87 : 72

11. Disperis lanceana H. Perrier

Not. Syst. (Paris) 5: 223 (1936); in Humbert H. (ed.), Fl. Madag., 49 e fam., Orchidées 1: 188 (1939): Du Puy et al., Orch. Madag.: 135 (1999). — Type: Lance s.n., without locality 1871 (holo-, P!, photo K!). Known only from the type collection .

Slender terrestrial herb 10-15 cm high. Tubers c. 20 × 6-11 mm, oblong to fusiform. Leaves 2-3 in upper half of stem, alternate, 3-3.5 × 1.2- 1.3 cm, lanceolate to ovate, acute, clasping the stem at the base. Inflorescence 2-3-flowered; bracts 15-22 × 5 mm, lanceolate, longer than the ovary and pedicel and usually also than the flowers. Flowers pink, relatively large; pedicel and ovary 9-15 mm long. Dorsal sepal 12-13 × 0.8 mm, narrowly linear. Hood subcircular, deeply concave, 10-12 mm long, 14-15 mm wide, a little hollowed out at the summit. Lateral sepals united for almost their entire length, forming an circular synsepal, slightly hollowed at the apex, 8-9 mm long, 10-12 mm wide, bearing in the middle two short saccate spurs and dotted along the margins with dull purple. Petals 10- 13 × 5 mm, obliquely ovate, joined to the dorsal sepal to form a hood which is broader than tall. Lip with a narrow claw, the terminal part trilobed, the two lateral posterior lobes linear, more or less 2 mm long, slightly arched, tomentose-papillose on their margins; the terminal lobe fleshy, tongue-shaped, gibbose in front, narrowing and obtuse at the apex, tomentose-papillose above and below, glabrous on the flanks, 3,5-4,5 mm long, stipitate, the stipe more or less 1.5 mm long, tomentose-papillose along the mid-line. Rostellum arms 1.5 mm long, spathulate. — Fig. 6E.

DISTRIBUTION. — Madagascar; endemic. HABITAT. — Habitat not recorded.

This species resembles D. hildebrandtii in its habit. It is readily distinguished by the terminal appendage of its lip which is stalked not sessile and by the indumentum of that appendage which lacks the vesicular hairs that are characteristic of D. hildebrandtii .

Figures

Fig. 6. — Appendage of lip: A, Disperis majungensis (Perrier de la Bâthie 13038); B, Disperis cordata (Cadet C11, in alcohol); C, Disperis hildebrandtii (Hildebrandt 3158); D, Disperis ciliata (Humbert & Capuron 25002); E, Disperis lanceana (Lance s.n.); F, Disperis saxicola (Bosser 17168); G, Disperis humblotii (Humblot 1592); H; Disperis perrieri (Humbert & Capuron 25758); I, Disperis oppositifolia var. mascarenensis (Bosser 21622).