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Key to Malaxis

Orchidaceae

Malaxis

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(c) Doby, Joshua - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
1 Leaves 2-5.
  2 Leaves cauline; lip oriented downward (resupinate); lip broadly triangular, concave, 3-lobed, the central lobe acuminate at apex, truncate at base; [PA and NJ northwards]
  2 Leaves basal; lip oriented upward (not resupinate); lip entire, obtuse to acuminate at apex, cordate-auriculate at base; [se. VA southwards]
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
1 Leaf solitary.
    3 Pedicels 3-5 (-5.8) mm long (even in plants with inflorescences over 80 mm long); basal lobes of the lip prominent, 0.75-1.1 mm long, usually 1.5-2 (-2.5)× as long as the apical lateral lobes and > 0.6× as long as the length from the base to the tip of the mid-lobe; inflorescences loosely flowered above, the lower flowers withering slowly
    3 Pedicels (4-) 5-10 (-13) mm long (and > 5 mm long in plants with inflorescences > 45 mm long); basal lobes of the lip not prominent, 0.4-1.1 mm long, mostly < 1.5× as long as the apical lateral lobes and < 0.6× as long as the length from the base to the tip of the mid-lobe; inflorescences densely flowered above, the lower flowers soon withering