Holothrix thodei

Holothrix thodei is a slender perennial, a ground orchid reaching heights around 30 cm. The specific name, thodei, honours Hans Thode, a naturalist of the early twentieth century.

The heart-shaped, prostrate leaves become about 1,4 cm wide, sparsely covered in short hairs along their upper surfaces. Whitish veins curve along the leaf surface towards its apex.

The species distribution is small, lying in the Drakensberg along the border between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho, also in the eastern Free State and the north of the Eastern Cape.

The plants grow in moist rocky grassland at elevations between 1500 m and 2600 m. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; www.orchidspecies.com; www.redlist.sanbi.org).