At a glance
RECORDED PROFILE DATA- Scientific name
- Angraecum costatum Frapp. ex Cordem.
- Name status
- Accepted name; Angraecum longinode is a synonym
- Native region
- Réunion
- Growth habit
- Epiphytic or lithophytic chamaephyte
- Cultivation temperature group
- Not documented
Names and Taxonomy
The accepted name for this taxon is Angraecum costatum Frapp. ex Cordem. The name Angraecum longinode Frapp. ex Cordem. is listed as a heterotypic synonym of A. costatum in Kew’s Plants of the World Online database[1]. The synonymy was also discussed in a recent taxonomic revision for the Mascarene flora, which treats A. longinode as an older, unpublished name that is now subsumed under A. costatum[2]. No distinct common name is recorded for either name.
How to Identify This Species
Detailed morphological descriptions (flower size, colour, spur length, leaf shape) for Angraecum longinode are not provided in the available sources. The synonym A. costatum is described only in broad terms as an epiphytic or lithophytic chamaephyte. Consequently, reliable identification must rely on specialist herbarium material or a full taxonomic treatment, which are not accessible in the present excerpts. Identification features are not documented in the sources consulted.
Native Range and Habitat
Angraecum costatum is recorded as native to the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean[1]. It occurs in the wet tropical biome, growing as an epiphyte on tree branches or as a lithophyte on rocks. No specific elevation range or forest type is given in the cited material.
Species-Specific Care
| Factor | Documented guidance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Growth habit | Epiphytic or lithophytic; mount on bark or place in a well‑draining medium with coarse bark and charcoal. | [1] |
| Light | Not documented. | — |
| Temperature | Not documented. | — |
| Watering | Not documented; growers often keep moisture high for wet‑forest epiphytes. | — |
| Humidity | Not documented; natural habitat is a wet tropical forest, suggesting a preference for high humidity. | — |
| Fertilisation | Not documented. | — |
| Seasonal changes | Not documented. | — |
Because the species naturally inhabits humid, wet forests, most growers treat it like other Mascarene Angraecum species: mounted on a bark slab, provided with good air circulation, and watered regularly to keep the substrate moist but not water‑logged. Precise temperature ranges, light levels, and fertilisation schedules have not been published for this taxon.
Flowering and Pollination
No published information on flowering time, flower morphology, fragrance, or pollinators for Angraecum longinode/A. costatum is available in the sources consulted.
Evidence and Limitations
The primary data for this profile come from Kew’s Plants of the World Online entry for Angraecum costatum and a taxonomic paper addressing Mascarene Orchidaceae. Detailed morphological, phenological, and horticultural information is lacking in the referenced material, so many sections contain “Not documented.” Further study of herbarium specimens, field surveys, or specialist monographs would be required to fill these gaps.
Frequently asked questions
Is Angraecum longinode a valid species name?
No. Current taxonomic consensus treats Angraecum longinode Frapp. ex Cordem. as a synonym of the accepted species Angraecum costatum Frapp. ex Cordem.
Where does Angraecum longinode occur in the wild?
It is native to the island of Réunion, where it grows as an epiphytic or lithophytic plant in wet tropical forest habitats.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
Sources & references
- Angraecum costatum Frapp. ex Cordem. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science, https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:616047-1
- New combinations and other taxonomic changes for the forthcoming ‘flore des mascareignes’ Orchidaceae accounts, Johan Hermans et al., 2021, https://www.redalyc.org/journal/443/44372514001/html/