Satyrium princeps flowers

The rose pink to deep carmine, iridescent flowers of Satyrium princeps are acknowledged for their beauty in the specific name, princeps (Latin), meaning first man or chief. The plant is in Afrikaans commonly called rooitrewwa, a name shared with S. coriifolium and maybe other satyriums.

The lateral sepals of the flower spread, elliptic in shape and slightly oblique with acutely pointed tips. The median sepal is oblong, up to 1,4 cm long. The petals pointing forward are lance-shaped with acutely pointed tips and crisped margins.

The lip is a rounded hood over the column, its apical flap partly reflexed with tiny teeth along the crisped margin. The pair of curved spurs growing from the back of the lip may become longer than 2 cm.

The species is differentiated from S. membranaceum, a close relative, by its pointed rostellum and large viscidia (Liltved and Johnson, 2012; www.plantzafrica.com).