Aa sphaeroglossa
Aa sphaeroglossa is a species of orchid in the genus Aa. It is endemic to Bolivia, where it grows at altitudes of 3,300 to 3,800 metres.
Taxonomy
Aa sphaeroglossa was described in 1922 by German botanist Friedrich R.F. Schlechter, based on a specimen collected by Karl Fiebrig. Its species name, sphaeroglossa, comes from Ancient Greek sphaîra, “sphere” and glôssă, “tongue”. It was noted to be similar to Aa microtidis and Aa mandonii, apparently having larger flowers than A. microtidis and being distinguishable from A. mandonii by the shape of the flower's lip and column.Description
It is a terrestrial plant with an erect, slender growth habit, growing 12 to 20 centimetres tall. The roots are fleshy, cylindrical and smooth. It is a tuberous geophyte. A. sphaeroglossa has a few lanceolate leaves at the base of the plant, which are up to 2 centimetres long and held upright. The raceme is rigid and narrow, growing 2.5 to 5 centimetres tall with several closely clustered flowers which emerge from narrowly tapered, glossy sheathes 2.5 to 3 millimetres in diameter and are borne on glossy, angular floral bracts. The flowers are shorter than the bracts.The flower's labellum is spherical and smooth. Lower lateral sepals are semi-circular with jagged edges and twice as large as the similarly shaped upper lateral sepals. The intermediate lobe is semi-circular, with fringed edges. The flower's opening has five curved lobes. The ovaries are egg-shaped, smooth, 2.5 millimetres long, and sessile, the column is short and thick, and the rostellum is broad and notched in the middle.