Orthochilus ensatus flowers

The bright yellow flowers of Orthochilus ensatus appear in a short and dense, sometimes rounded head, a capitate spike at the tip of a long stalk. One inflorescence may bear six to thirty flowers. The funnel-shaped flowers become about 2 cm long.

The three-lobed, pointed lip of the flower, the lower tepal of the perianth funnel, is covered in a warty crescent that nearly reaches its tip. The spur at the lip base is slender, from 3 mm to 7 mm long.

Flowering happens in mid-spring through summer, mostly around midsummer. The main part of the pollination is performed by flower chafer beetles, insects belonging to the Cetoniinae subfamily (Pooley, 1998; Manning, 2009; www.plantzafrica.com).