Holothrix villosa, a hairy plant

Sparse hairiness, the hairs soft, white and long, characterises the flowers of Holothrix villosa, although hairs are absent from the white spurs and the sepals on the plant in picture. Spur curvature, pronounced near their tips, is notable. So is the twist of the flower at the top of the ovary. There is a common name for this plant: common hairy thread orchid. The Afrikaans name, wollie (woolly thing), is less of a mouthful.

H. villosa resembles H. exilis that overlaps with it in distribution especially in the Western Cape, but is not as widespread. H. exilis has only one lobe in its lip or two short lateral ones that contribute to distinguishing between the two species.

Another close relative, H. condensata, bears flowers three times the size of those of H. villosa. It is less hairy and has more fleshy leaves. H. condensata has a generally more robust growth habit in its smaller, damper habitat (Liltved and Johnson, 2012; www.pacificbulbsociety.org).