Angraecum chamaeanthus flowers

An Angraecum chamaeanthus inflorescence bears from 4 to ten flowers in a raceme emerging from the side of the stem below the leaves. Racemes become only 3 cm long, the flowers sometimes all facing to one side (secund).

The pedicel and ovary of a flower together become only 1 mm to 2 mm long. The petals and sepals are free, ovate in shape. The lip is concave with rounded tip, only slightly larger than the other tepals.

The tiny, white flowers are a little over 2 mm in diameter, one of Africa’s smallest orchids. Chamai means dwarf in Greek, while anthos is Greek for flower, the words used to form the plant’s specific name. Flowering happens from mid-spring to early autumn (www.zimbabweflora.co.zw; www.africanorchids.dk).