Pterygodium magnum flowers and bracts

Pterygodium magnum floral bracts present varying degrees of sagging or reflexing among the crowded flowers in picture. They start off erectly, lowering their upper parts by curving, later a folding at similar distances from every bract tip. Slight sideways manoeuvring ensures missing the closest flowers on their way down. It would not do for a bract to cover an orchid flower face and spoil the chances of pollinator access! The acutely pointed bract tips protrude further outwards than the flowers in picture.

The green bract colouring is matched on the sepals. The sepal surfaces are concave on the inside, their outlines ovate to elliptic, attenuating to acute tips. The lateral sepals are oblique in shape, the odd one at the top symmetrical. This, the dorsal sepal curves forward closely over the lateral petals, forming the hood. The lateral sepals spread sideways and forward below the flower centre.

The yellowish lateral petals have red-purple spots and streaks, their margins fringed. They form an angled shelter over the flower centre. The petals are up to 1 cm long. The lip is mottled white with fringed margin, about 6 mm long. The lip appendage is erect. There is no spur (Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; www.africanorchids.dk).