Ansellia africana dark markings

In this Ansellia africana flower large, coloured blotches, irregularly shaped with some rounding to them, are scattered upon the surfaces of the sepals and the lateral petals. These markings are dark brown, but turned faint red where they touch.

The sepals and laterals of the flower in picture are comparatively short, squat and elliptic in shape. The pair of later petals is wider than the sepals, possibly a smidgen shorter. The lip is the smallest tepal in view, bright yellow in colour and obovately shaped. Flower diameter is usually about 2,5 cm.

A. africana flowers are faintly scented by day, more pungently at night, possibly reflecting a predilection for moths over daylight pollinators.

In the past the less common flowering form with dark markings used to be called A. gigantea var. nilotica, the paler, less marked one A. gigantea var. gigantea (Pooley, 1998; Onderstall, 1984; www.plantzafrica.com).