Aerangis

Vandeae subtribe Aerangidinae

Monopodial epiphytes. Stems short with thick greyish-white roots. Leaves alternate, distichous, leathery, usually obliquely bilobed at the apex. Inflorescences axillary arching-pendent racemes, often fractiflex, the floral bracts inconspicuous, often brown. Flowers starry, strongly two-ranked, white, usually fragrant in the evening. Sepals and petals free, spreading, subsimilar, subequal, often reflexed. Lip unlobed, subsimilar to the petals, strongly reflexed and often subparallel with the ovary, with an elongate nectar spur, the spur gently curved or spiralled, usually without callus. Column somewhat club-shaped, without wings or a foot; pollinia 2, sulcate, on a common linear stipe and variously shaped viscidium.

From the Greek aer, meaning air, and angos, meaning vessel, alluding to the elongate spurs common in the genus.

A genus of 60 species in Africa and Madagascar with one species extending to Sri Lanka.

Arends, J. C. and J. Stewart 1989. Aerangis gracillima: a definitive account of a rare African orchid of Cameroun and Gabon. Lindleyana 4(1):23-29.

Chiron, G., I. La Croix and J. Stewart 1998. Two new species of Aerangis from tropical Africa. Orchid Rev. 106(1222):225-229 (reprinted in French in Orchid. Cult. & Protect. 36:6-12).

Cribb, P. J. 1980. Barombia schliebenii, an extraordinary epiphytic orchid species from Central Tanzania. S. Afr. Orchid J. 11(4):110--114.

Cribb, P. J. and J. Stewart 1983. Aerangis mooreana (Orchidaceae), an overlooked orchid. Orchid Rev. 91:218-219.

Fibeck, W. and M. Dare 1997. Aërangis rusituensis, a new species from eastern Zimbabwe. S. Afr. Orchid J. 28(3):73-76.

Fibeck, W. and V. Phiri 2000. Orchideen in Simbabwe: Aerangis-Verwandte. Die Orchidee 51(3):324-328.

Hillerman, F. 1986. Growing Aerangis orchids. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 55(8):803-807.

Leroux, A. 1976. Barombia gracillima (Kraenzl.) Schltr. L’Orchidoph. 23:591-593.

Leroux, A. 1989. Aerangis megaphylla Summerh. (Aerangis phalaenopsis). L’Orchidoph. 85:12.

Leroux, A. 1989. Aerangis gravenreuthii (Krzl.) Schltr. L’Orchidoph. 85:22.

Leroux, A. 1989. Aerangis collum-cygnii Summerh. L’Orchidoph. 88:182.

Leroux, A. 1989. Aerangis kotschyana Reichb.f. L’Orchidoph. 88:182-183.

Leroux, A. 1993. Aerangis stelligera Summerh. L’Orchidoph. 102:129-130.

Leroux, A. 1996. Aerangis articulata (Rchb.f.) Schltr. L’Orchidoph. 121:79.

Senghas, K. 1969. Aerangis buchlohii, eine neue Orchidee aus Madagaskar. Die Orchidee 20:12-16.

Senghas, K. 1983. Aerangis seegeri, eine neue Orchidee aus Madagaskar. Die Orchidee 34(1):23-25.

Stewart, J. 1977. The South African species of Aerangis. S. Afr. Orchid J. 8(4):113-118.

Stewart, J. 1980. A revision of the African species of Aerangis (Orchidaceae). Kew Bull. 34:239-319.

Stewart, J. 1986. Stars of the islands, a new look at the genus Aerangis in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, 1. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 55(8):792-802.

Stewart, J. 1986. Stars of the islands, a new look at the genus Aerangis in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, 2. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 55(9):903-909.

Stewart, J. 1986. Stars of the islands, a new look at the genus Aerangis in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, 3. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 55(10):1008-1015.

Stewart, J. 1986. Stars of the islands, a new look at the genus Aerangis in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, 4. Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 55(11):1117-1125.

Stewart, J. and I. F. la Croix 1987. Notes on the orchids of southern tropical Africa, III. Aerangis. Kew Bull. 42(1):215-###.