''Aeranthes'', abbreviated Aerth in the horticultural trade,http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSWebsite/files/87/87be8b1e-908e-4e04-9ee6-30c438354458.pdf is an orchid genus with 47 species, mostly from shady, tropical humid forests in Zimbabwe, Madagascar and islands in the Western Indian Ocean.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The name "aeranthes" means 'aerial flower', because it grows high in the air.

Description

''Aeranthes'' has a single short, erect, monopodial

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

. The leathery, shining, opposite leaves are arranged in two rows of five to seven leaves, with a length of 15–25 cm. New leaves are formed at the top of the stem in a monopodial growth pattern. The threadlike flower stalk grows downward to a length of almost 30 cm. It carries one or two almost translucent, greenish yellow flowers. The sepals and the shorter

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s taper off into five long, narrow shoots. Some give an agreeable, sweet scent in the evening or early morning.

References

External links

* * Orchids of Africa Vandeae genera Flora of Madagascar Flora of the Comoros Orchids of Mauritius Flora of Réunion Flora of Zimbabwe {{Vandeae-stub