Habenaria galpinii flower profile

In this (almost) profile photo of Habenaria galpinii the dorsal sepal, obovate in shape with concave surface, can be seen tapering to an acutely pointed tip facing upwards. The larger (left) lateral sepal in picture, its undulating surface roughly triangular, is similarly deflexed back from the flower centre.

The sepals are green, as are much of the long, thin, fleshy lobes of the lateral petals and the three lip lobes below. But these are white at their bases around the prominent, whitish column parts of the flower centre.

The lower petal lobes angling down and outwards are slightly larger than the upper lobes that are erect and parallel, pointing up. The central lip lobe below is longer than the other six of these almost linear limbs, but don’t forget the longest thin flower limb of them all, the eighth one, the spur:

The spur from the base of the lip curves backwards strongly in picture, crossing the ribbed ovary that also functions as the flower stalk (Lowrey and Wright, 1987; iSpot; www.orchidspecies.com).