Aerangis somalensis (Schltr.) Schltr. 1918
Photo by Copyright © Thomas Mirenda
Photo by Copyright © David Jubineau
Photo by Takao Ishii and His Orchid Photo Pages Copyright ©
TO 
Common Name or Meaning The Somali Aerangis
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Transvaal South Africa at elevations of 1000 to 1800 meters in thickets near streams, woodlands in dry areas as a small sized, cool to warm growing epiphyte with short stems carrying 2 to 6 distichous, oblong-ligulate to suborbicular,unequally bilobed apically, acute lobes, dark green to purple green leaves that blooms on a axillary, 4 to 8" [10 to 20 cm] long, few to many [2 to 17] flowered inflorescence carrying nocturnally gardenia scented flowers.
This species requires a dry rest in the winter from fertilizer and most water and access to bright light and occassional full sun.
Synonyms *Angraecum somalense Schltr. 1906
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Encylopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; Wild Orchids of Southern Africa Stewart, Linder, Schelpe & Hall 1982 photo good; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas # 48-49 Vandeae 1986; An Introduction to the Cultivated Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar Hillerman & Holst 1986;Flora of Tropical East Africa Orchidaceae Part 3 Cribb 1989 drawing fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchids Of Kenya Stewart 1996 photo fide; African Orchids in the Wild and Cultivation La Croix 1997; Flora Zambesiaca Vol 11 Orchidaceae Part 2 Pope 1998; Orchids of Southern Africa Linder & Kurzweil 1999 drawing/photo fide; Field Guide to the Ethiopian Orchids Demissew, Cribb & Rasmussen 2004; Orchid Digest Vol 70 #4 2006 photo fide; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 11 2008 photo fide; Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland McMurty, Grobler, Grobler & Burns 2008; AOS Bulletin Vol 78 #4 2009 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016
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