Ancistrochilus rothschildianus

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Asparagales

Familia: Orchidaceae
Subfamilia: Epidendroideae
Tribus: Collabieae
Genus: Ancistrochilus
Species: Ancistrochilus rothschildianus
Name

Ancistrochilus rothschildianus O'Brien, Gard. Chron. 41: 51 (1907)
Synonymy

Heterotypic
Ancistrochilus thomsonianus var. gentilii De Wild., Not. Pl. Util. Congo 1: 128 (1903)
Ancistrochilus hirsutissimus Kraenzl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 51: 386 (1914)
Pachystoma rothschildianum Sander, Sander's Orch. Guide, ed. rev.,: 363 (1927)

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Africa
East Tropical Africa
Uganda.
West Tropical Africa
Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone.
West-Central Tropical Africa
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Zaire.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

O'Brien, J. 1907. The Gardeners' Chronicle & Agricultural Gazette 41: 51.

Links

Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2021. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Ancistrochilus rothschildianus. Accessed: 2021 Oct 25.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Ancistrochilus rothschildianus in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Oct 25. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Ancistrochilus rothschildianus in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Oct 25. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2021. Ancistrochilus rothschildianus. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Oct 25. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. Ancistrochilus rothschildianus. Published online. Accessed: 25 Oct 2021.
Tropicos.org 2021. Ancistrochilus rothschildianus. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 25 Oct 2021.

Vernacular names

Ancistrochilus rothschildianus is a small species of semi-terrestrial, orchid endemic to the African tropics.[1][2][3] A. rothschildianus is cultivated for its "pretty pink flowers."[4] This species and Ancistrochilus thomsonianus are the only recognized species in genus Ancistrochilus.[1]
Description

Ancistrochilus rothschildianus is a sympodial epiphytic plant with wide, conical or pyriform pseudobulbs that each carry two to three broad, acute, lanceolate leaves.[1] The shape of the pseudobulbs has been described as similar to that of Hershey's Kisses.[4]

A deciduous species from a region with a very pronounced dry season, A. rothschildianus goes into a state of abscission and loses leaves before it comes into flower.[1][2][4][3] At the end or the dry season, the flowers appear from the base of the mature, leafless pseudobulb in a pubescent inflorescence. Each plant produces three to four large (8 cm across), attractive, and showy flowers are that are dusky rose pink in color with a three-lobed lip that is magenta in color and ends in an elongated, narrow, curved projection.[1][2] The flowers have a mild, spicy fragrance with a hint of a metallic odor.[1][4]
Range and habitat

Ancistrochilus rothschildianus is endemic to a relatively narrow latitudinal range across tropical Africa encompassing the West African countries of Guinea and Sierra Leone, the East African countries of Uganda and Tanzania, and the territory in between.[1][2][3]

This orchid grows on bare tree trunks and larger branches of large forest trees at altitudes of 500-1100m.[1][3]
Cultivation

In cultivation, this orchid does well in a coarse, well-drained soil mix. After flowering until the appearance of a new lead, the soil should be allowed to get dry during so as to encourage the plant to go dormant as it does in the wild. When it loses its leaves and flowers appear, more frequent watering should resume. It benefits from repotting when new growth appears at the start of its growing season. Mature pseudobulbs flower better if provided with plentiful amounts of water and fertilizer.[2][3]
References

Christenson, E. A.. Ancistrochilus thomsonianus: the successful introduction of a rare African species. Orchids 71(1): 30-32., 2002 Mannens, P.. Niet zo vaak gezien in een collectie Ancistrochilus. Orchideeen no.1: 9-10, 2002 Archived 2009-04-18 at the Wayback Machine
Orchids Online: Ancistrochilus rothschildianus Archived 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine
Orchid Species Society, Inc.[permanent dead link]
Orchid corner (kammlott.net)