Ancistrochilus rothschildianus O'Brien 1907 is named for Walter Rothschild of the famous British banking family. Walter was a devoted naturalist who spent his life developing the Natural History Museum. A. rothschildianus is a small species of semi-terrestrial, orchid endemic to the African tropics. Along with A. thomsonianus are the only recognized species in genus Ancistrochilus. A. rothschildianus is a sympodial epiphytic plant with wide, conical or pyriform pseudobulbs that each carry two to three broad, acute, lanceolate leaves. This species grows on bare tree trunks and larger branches of large forest trees at altitudes of 500-1100m. As a deciduous species from a region with a very pronounced dry season,it goes into a state of abscission and loses leaves before it comes into flower. At the end or the dry season, the flowers appear from the base of the mature, leafless pseudobulb in a pubescent inflorescence. It produces 3-4 large (8 cm across) showy, mild fragrance flowers that are dusky rose pink with a three-lobed lip that is magenta and ends in an elongated, narrow, curved projection.