Rhipidoglossum afrum

Rhipidoglossum afrum illustration

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Asparagales
Classification System: APG IV Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Orthokaryota Cladus: Neokaryota Cladus: Photokaryota Cladus: Diaphoretickes Cladus: CAM Cladus: Archaeplastida Regnum: Plantae Cladus: Angiosperms Cladus: Mesangiospermae Cladus: Monocots Ordo: Asparagales

Familia: Orchidaceae
Subfamilia: Epidendroideae
Tribus: Vandeae
Subtribus: Angraecinae
Genus: Rhipidoglossum
Species: Rhipidoglossum afrum

Name

Rhipidoglossum afrum (Bolus) Farminhão & Stévart, Phytotaxa 349: 252 (2018).

Synonymy

• Basionym
  • Angraecum afrum Bolus, Icon. Orchid. Austro-Afric. 1: t. 8 (1893).
• Homotypic
  • Mystacidium afrum (Bolus) Bolus, Trans. S. African Philos. Soc. 16: 145 (1905).
  • Margelliantha afra (Bolus) P.J.Cribb & J.Stewart, Kew Bull. 40: 413 (1985).
  • Diaphananthe afra (Bolus) H.P.Linder, Kew Bull. 44: 318 (1989).
  • Angraecopsis afra (Bolus) R.Rice, Prelim. Checklist & Survey Subtrib. Aerangidinae (Orchidac.): 19 (2005), no basionym plate number.
    

Note: Epithet published as caffrum, now as treated as an orthographical variant, Art. 61.6, ICN (Madrid)

Distribution

Native distribution areas:
Africa Southern Africa Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Provinces. References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References

Primary references

• Meerts, P., Droissart, V., Droissart, M. & Stévart, T. 2018. A revised concept of Rhipidoglossum (Angraecinae, Orchidaceae). Phytotaxa 349(3): 247. PDF Reference page.  252.

Links

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2023. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Rhipidoglossum afrum. Accessed: 2023 Aug 11.
• Govaerts, R. et al. 2025. Rhipidoglossum afrum in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2025 Oct. 3. Reference page. 
• Hassler, M. 2023. World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. . Rhipidoglossum afrum. Accessed: 11 Aug 2023. Reference page. 
• International Plant Names Index. 2025. Rhipidoglossum afrum. Published online. Accessed: 3 Oct. 2025. Reference page.
• Tropicos.org 2023. Rhipidoglossum afrum. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 11 Aug 2023. Reference page.

Vernacular names

For more multimedia, look at Rhipidoglossum afrum on Wikimedia Commons.