Habenaria schimperiana

Habenaria schimperiana is a slender to robust terrestrial orchid reaching heights around 70 cm in South Africa. The ellipsoid to ovoid tubers from which the deciduous above-ground plant parts grow become up to 4 cm long and 1 cm wide.

The species distribution is in the east of South Africa, from KwaZulu-Natal northwards through Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It also occurs across tropical Africa and as far north as Ethiopia. The plants may grow taller in some parts of the tropics.

The habitat is marshes and moist grassland from the coast to altitudes around 1350 m. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw; www.africanorchids.dk; www.redlist.sanbi.org).