Angraecum laggiarae

Names and Taxonomy

The name Angraecum laggiarae Schltr. was published in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 15: 337 (1918)【11】. Current taxonomic databases disagree on its status. Plants of the World Online (Kew) lists it as a synonym of Angraecum calceolus Thouars, citing recent orchid field guides【1】. The African Plant Database reaches the same conclusion【11】. However, Govaerts (1995, 2003) accepted A. laggiarae as a distinct name in his world checklists【1】. For the purposes of this profile the name is treated as a synonym of A. calceolus, with a note of the alternative treatment.

How to Identify This Species

Published diagnostic descriptions for A. laggiarae are not readily available in the sources consulted. The original protologue (1918) is cited but its morphological details are not reproduced in the accessed excerpts, and no modern flora or monograph provides a separate description. Consequently, reliable identification characters for this taxon cannot be presented here. Growers who encounter a plant labelled as A. laggiarae should compare it with the well‑documented morphology of A. calceolus, the species to which it is currently synonymised.

Native Range and Habitat

The taxon is recorded from Madagascar in several databases, including Kew’s Plants of the World Online and a regional orchid checklist【1】【8】. No specific habitat description (e.g., forest type, host tree, elevation) is provided for A. laggiarae in the available sources. As a result, the precise ecological niche remains undocumented.

Species‑Specific Care

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The only species‑specific entry found in an orchid compendium lists A. laggiarae with the codes “I | M | L | M” (indoor, medium light, low? moisture)【6】. Because the meaning of these shorthand codes is not explained in the source, the table above relies on broadly applicable Angraecum care practices and clearly marks missing information.

Flowering and Pollination

No published data on flowering time, flower morphology, fragrance, or pollinator interactions for A. laggiarae were found in the consulted literature. It is therefore listed as not documented.

Evidence and Limitations

This profile is based on a limited set of online references. Key gaps include a detailed morphological description, precise habitat parameters, and species‑specific cultivation data. The taxonomic status is contested; while major databases treat the name as a synonym of A. calceolus, some checklists retain it as a separate entry. Further field studies or access to the original 1918 protologue would be needed to resolve these uncertainties.