Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 710 No. 1: 11 Jul. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-07-11
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.710.1.4
Page range: 79-90
Abstract views: 317
PDF downloaded: 604

New and noteworthy records to the Angolan orchid flora revealed by the little-known watercolours of Helen Faulkner (1888–1979)

Bews Herbarium, Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, 3209 Scottsville, South Africa
Angola botanical history botanical illustrations plant taxonomy General

Abstract

Helen Faulkner lived in Angola between 1937 and 1942, where she collected and made watercolour sketches of the plants she encountered on her forays. Most of her herbarium specimens are preserved at the National Herbarium in Pretoria (PRE) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K). Her botanical artwork, not only of plants from Angola but also of plants from Mozambique and Tanzania, is preserved in 18 notebooks deposited at the Archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Many, but not all, of her watercolours are cross-referenced to herbarium specimens. This paper provides an identification for all 49 Angolan orchid sketches representing at least 46 different species. Only about half have a corresponding herbarium specimen of which the identification was also checked. Furthermore, comments are provided on some of the remarkable plants she saw, such as Eulophia obstipa, Platycoryne trilobata, and Habenaria decaptera. Four of the illustrated species represent new country records for Angola, namely Eulophia susbsaprophytica, Habenaria calvilabris, Habenaria gonatosiphon, and Orthochilus thomsonii.

References

  1. African Plant Database. (2025) African Plant Database (version 4.0.0) Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. Available from: http://africanplantdatabase.ch (accessed January 2025)
  2. Baum, H. (1903) Kunene-Sambesi-expedition, H. Baum, 1903. Verlag des Kolonial-wirtschaftlichen Komitees, Berlin, 593 pp. [http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/83282]
  3. Bergius, P.J. (1767) Descriptiones Plantarum ex Capite Bona Spei. Laur Salvi, Stockholm, 362 pp. [https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/13844-descriptiones-plantarum-ex-capite-bonae-spei]
  4. Brown, N.E. (1821) Lissochilus speciosus. Mr.Griffin’s Lissochilus. Botanical Register 7: add t. 573 (‘578’). [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/62008181#page/249/mode/1up]
  5. De Wildeman, É. (1902) Etudes sur la flore du Katanga. Annales du Museé du Congo (Belge). Botanique Sér. IV, Fasc, I: 1–24. [https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/15820-annales-du-musee-du-congo-belge-serie-iv-botanique-tome-i-fasc-1]
  6. De Wildeman, É. (1919) Additions à la Flore du Congo III (Suite). Bulletin du Jardin botanique de l’État a Bruxelles 6 (2): 65–129. https://doi.org/10.2307/3666433
  7. Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008) Plants of Angola. Plantas de Angola. Strelitzia 22. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 279 pp.
  8. Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2024) Plant Collectors in Angola. Regnum Vegetabile 161. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 354 pp.
  9. Fries, R.E. (1916) Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Rhodesia-Kongo-Expedition 1911-1912: unter Leitung von Eric Graf von Rosen. Band 1. Botanische Untersuchungen. Heft II. Monocotyledones und Sympetalae. Aftonbladets Druckerei, Stockholm, 135 pp. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42939715#page/237/mode/1up]
  10. Gaudichaud-Beaupré, C. (1826-1830) Voyage autours du monde. Botanique. Pillet Aîné, Paris, 522 pp. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31615752#page/438/mode/1up]
  11. IPNI. (2025) International Plant Names Index. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Herbarium. Published on the Internet: http://www.ipni.org (accessed 31 January 2025)
  12. la Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1995) Orchidaceae. In: Flora Zambesiaca, Vol. 11 Part 1. Flora Zambesiaca Managing Committee, London, pp. 1–320.
  13. la Croix, I. & Cribb, P.J. (1998) Orchidaceae. In: Flora Zambesiaca, Vol. 11 Part 2. Flora Zambesiaca Managing Committee, London, pp. 321–569.
  14. Lindley, J. (1830–1840) The genera and species of orchidaceous plants. Ridgways, London, 553 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.120492
  15. Lindley, J. (1844) Lissochilus roseus. Rose-coloured Lissochilus. Edwards’s Botanical Register 30: sub t. 12. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/242585#page/48/mode/1up]
  16. Martos, F., Johnson, S.D., Peter, C.I. & Bytebier, B. (2014) A molecular phylogeny reveals paraphyly of the large genus Eulophia (Orchidaceae): A case for the reinstatement of Orthochilus. Taxon 63 (1): 9–23. https://doi.org/10.12705/631.6
  17. Polhill, R.M. (1980) Helen Faulkner, 1888-1979. Kew Bulletin 34 (4): 619–620. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/4119058]
  18. Polhill, D. & Polhill, R.M. (2015) East African Plant Collectors. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 520 pp.
  19. POWO. (2024) Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 20 December 2024)
  20. Reichenbach fil., H.G. (1855) Symbolae Orchidaceae. Bonplandia (Hannover) 3: 212–227. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28141446#page/217/mode/1up]
  21. Reichenbach fil., H.G. (1865) Dr. Welwitsch’s Orchideen aus Angola. Flora 48: 177–191. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56296#page/179/mode/1up]
  22. Reichenbach fil., H.G. (1882) Orchideae describuntur. Flora 65: 531–534. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/981#page/532/mode/1up]
  23. Rendle, A.B. (1894) The plants of Milanji, Nyasa-land, collected by Mr. Alexander Whyte, FLS, and described by Messr. Britton, E.G. Baker, Rendle, Gepp, and others; with an introduction by William Carruthers, FRS, FLS. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, Botany 4: 1–67. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/13685#page/6/mode/1up]
  24. Richard, A. (1850) Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae 2. Arthus Bertrand, Paris, 518 pp. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6674788#page/285/mode/1up]
  25. Rolfe, R.A. (1897–1898) Order CXXXIII. In: Thiselton-Dyer, W.T. (Ed.) Flora of Tropical Africa, Vol. VII. Lovell Reeve & Co., London, pp. 12–292. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/131#page/26/mode/1up]
  26. Schlechter, R. (1915) Orchidaceae Stolzianae, ein Beitrag zur Orchideenkunde des Nyasaa-Landes. Botanische Jahrbucher fur Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 53: 477–605. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/716#page/490/mode/1up].
  27. Summerhayes, V.S. (1927) African Orchids, I. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens, Kew) 1927 (10): 415–419. https://doi.org/10.2307/4107556
  28. Summerhayes, V.S. (1958) African Orchids XXV. Kew Bulletin 13 (1): 57–87. https://doi.org/10.2307/4117623
  29. Summerhayes, V.S. (1960) African Orchids: XXVII. Kew Bulletin 14 (1): 126–157. https://doi.org/10.2307/4115580
  30. Summerhayes, V.S. (1962) African Orchids: XXVIII. Kew Bulletin 16 (2): 253–314. https://doi.org/10.2307/4118834
  31. Swartz, O. (1800) Orchidernes. Kongl. Vetenskaps Academiens Nya Handlingar 21: 202–252. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47079156#page/236/mode/1up]
  32. Thiers, B.M. (2025, updated continuously) Index Herbariorum. Available from: https://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ (accessed January 2025)
  33. Willdenow, C.L. (1805) Species Plantarum. Editio Quarta Tomus IV Pars I. G.C. Nauk, Berlin, 629 pp. [https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/12438-species-plantarum-editio-quarta-tomus-iv-pars-i].

How to Cite

Bytebier, B. (2025) New and noteworthy records to the Angolan orchid flora revealed by the little-known watercolours of Helen Faulkner (1888–1979). Phytotaxa 710 (1): 79–90. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.710.1.4