Pterygodium

Pterygodium is a genus of terrestrial perennials in the Orchidaceae or orchid family, growing from small root tubers. The leaves are few, elliptic to lanceolate, growing on the stems.

The inflorescence is a loose to dense raceme of mostly resupinate flowers above lanceolate bracts. The cup-like flowers are white, yellow or green. The three sepals are free, the median one adhering to the asymmetrical, ovate, lateral petals in forming a shallow hood over the rest of the floral parts. The lateral sepals spread or are reflexed. The lip is entire or divided into two or three lobes with variously shaped appendages near its base, where it is attached to the column.

The central floral column called the gynostemium is short and expanded laterally. It comprises both the male and female parts and is complex in structure. There is a two-lobed anther, mostly horizontal or pendent, containing two pollinia. The capsule is cylindrical or obovoid and ribbed.

The flowers are strongly fragrant, mostly pollinated by oil-collecting bees of the Rediviva genus, also the pollinators of the diascias.

There are 18 Pterygodium species, all in southern Africa; 13 in the fynbos and 7 in the Little Karoo. Many of the plants flower best in the year after fire, others continually unless overgrown.

The plant in picture may be Pterygodium pentherianum (Liltved and Johnson, 2012; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007).