Habenaria pseudociliosa

Habenaria pseudociliosa is a slender to fairly robust ground orchid growing an erect stem to heights varying from 24 cm to 47 cm. The stem or basal leaf sheathing is covered in maroon to black spots and bars.

The stem carries six to eight linear to lanceolate stem leaves that taper to acute tips. The biggest, lower leaves become 15 cm long and 1,5 cm wide, the upper ones grading into the floral bracts.

The species is distributed from the Eastern Cape to Gauteng and Mpumalanga, probably a South Africa endemic, although there might be some plants growing in Lesotho and Swaziland.

The habitat is summer rainfall grassland on mountain slopes at elevations around 1200 m. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (www.africanorchids.dk; www.orchidspecies.com; www.redlist.sanbi.org).