Ansellia is considered a monotypic genus of orchid, with only one species, Ansellia africana, commonly known as African ansellia or leopard orchid, however, it may in fact be a complex group of species which share common floral structure and growth habit.
The plants are found throughout tropical and subtropical Africa. It was named after John Ansell, an English assistant botanist. who found the first specimens in 1841 on the Fernando Po Island in West Africa. This genus is sometimes abbreviated as Ansel or Aslla in horticultural trade.
It is referred to along with Grammatophyllum as a "trash basket" orchid due to its habit of creating a makeshift container of aerial roots to catch falling leaf litter for nutrients.
Distribution and habitat
This orchid is native to tropical and southern Africa, found alongside coasts and rivers in the canopy of trees, usually at elevations lower than (occasionally up to ).
- Ansellia nilotica Baker N.E.Brown 1886
- Cymbidium sandersoni Harv. 1868
Notes
References
- Jay Pfahl - The Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia