Aerangis ellisii (B.S. Williams) Schltr. 1914
Photo by Joyce Stewart
Photo by William W Sanford
Aerangis ellisii var. ellisii
Aerangis ellisii var. grandiflora
Photo by Olaf Pronk
Photo by Fred Hillerman
LATE
Common Name Ellis' Aerangis [English Minister and Orchid Collecter in East Africa 1800's]
Flower Size 2.5" [6.25 cm]
Found in central and eastern Madagascar at elevations of 500 to 1400 meters as a small to medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with roots that can arise from all along an elongate, branching stem carrying fleshy and slightly glossy, dull green leaves and blooms in the late spring, summer and fall on an axillary, 13 to 24 flowered, to 24" [60 cm] long, racemose inflorescence with very fragrant [nutmeg] flowers.
It has been suggested that the variety grandiflora is just what happens when a plant is well cultivated and so the flowers are larger than in nature.
Synonyms Aerangis alata H. Perrier 1938; Aerangis platyphylla Schltr. 1925; Angorchis ellisii (B.S. Williams) Kuntze 1891; Angraecum buyssonii God.-Leb. 1891; Angraecum dubuyssonii God.-Leb. 1887; *Angraecum ellisii B.S. Williams 1871
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Angraecum ellisii drawing hmm; Flora of Madagascar Perrier 1939/81; Flora of Madagascar Perrier 1939/81 as A platyphylla; Flora of Madagascar Perrier 1939/81 as A alata; Flora of Madagascar Perrier 1939/81 as in error A cryptodon; Orchid Digest Vol 24 #4 1960 as Angraecum ellisiiphoto fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 10 1963 photo fide; Encylopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin VOl 37 # 6 1968 photo good; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 8 1986 photo; An Introduction to the Cultivated Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar Hillerman & Holst 1986 drawing/photo fide; An Introduction to the Cultivated Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar Hillerman & Holst 1986 as A alata; Die Orchideen lieferung 16/17/18 Brieger etal 1986 as A platyphylla; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchds Pridgeon 1992; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 65 No 3 1996 photo; Orchid Digest Vol 62 #3 1998 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 11 2005 photo fide; Flora's Orchids Nash and La Croix 2005; Orchid Digest Vol 70 #4 2006 photo fide; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006 photo fide; Angraecoid Orchids Stewart, Hermans, Campbell 2006 as A ellisii var grandiflora; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 8 2008 Orchids of Madagascar Hermans, Du Puy, Criibb & Bosser 2007 photo fide; Field Guide to the Orchids of Madagascar Cribb & Hermans 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #10 2011 photo fide; Les Orchidees de Madagascar Bosser & Lecoufle 2015 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 87 #10 2018 photo fide; A la Recherche des Orchidees de Madagascar Hervouet 2018 photo fide;
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