Habenaria malacophylla

Habenaria malacophylla is a slender, sometimes robust terrestrial orchid reaching varying heights averaging around 70 cm. It grows from ovoid to ellipsoid tubers that vary in hairiness.

The species distribution is widespread, from the Eastern Cape northwards throughout the eastern reaches of South Africa and also Swaziland across tropical Africa, from Sierra Leone to Eritrea, as well as in Yemen.

The plants grow in forest margins and understoreys, often in deep shade, at elevations from 150 m to 1600 m in South Africa. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; www.orchidspecies.com; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw; www.redlist.sanbi.org).