Brownleea Harv. ex Lindl. is a tuberous African genus in the Orchidaceae Juss. family. Most of the species are terrestrial with few leaves and a median or odd sepal joining with two lateral petals to form a trumpet-shaped hood tapering into a curved spur. Flowers are white to mauve with darker spots.
Brownleea caerulea Harv. ex Lindl., also spelled Brownleea coerulea by different authorities is found from the Eastern Cape, South Africa, to Madagascar. Plants grow from 10 to 60 cm. in the shade of forest, on mossy tree truncks and rock ledges. Flowers are bluish mauve with purple spots on the hood and plants bloom from February to April. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Brownleea macroceras Sond. grows on damp rocky grass slopes and grassy cliffs in the Drakensberg (South Africa, Lesotho) at 1800 to 3000 meters elevation. It is 10 to 30 cm tall and has white to lilac blue flowers and is sweetly scented. This species blooms January to April. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster at Naude's Nek in the Eastern Cape and Sentinel Peak in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Brownleea parviflora Harv. ex Lindl. grows in moist rocky mountain grassland from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Eastern Africa. The white flowers that are in a dense cylindrical inflorescence appear February to April. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Brownleea recurvata Sond. is found in stony grassland in the Southern and Eastern Cape. It grows to 50 cm tall and has two or three narrowly lanceolate leaves scattered along the stem and few to many white to lilac flowers in a lax spike. This species flowers from February to April. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster near Aurora Peak in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
