Satyrium cristatum var. longilabiatum twin spurs

The twin spurs of Satyrium cristatum flowers grow from the back of the upper perianth segment, the lip and curve down. Satyriums bear non-resupinate flowers, the lip positioned at the top, the ovaries untwisted. These spurs are shorter than the flower ovaries, partly obscured here by reflexed bracts and other floral parts.

The five lower perianth segments, spreading below the column, have bold maroon bands along the centres of the segments, not reaching the tips. The three sepals are positioned on the sides and in the centre, flanking the two lateral petals that are slightly shorter than them and aiming in roughly the same direction as the median sepal.

Maroon colouring on the back parts of the lip and its spurs seems to have been added as an afterthought, when the brush was already quite dry (Pooley, 1998; Manning, 2009; www.africanorchids.dk).