Cheirostylis ovata

Cheirostylis ovata, commonly known as the banded fleshy jewel orchid,[2][3] is a species of orchid that is endemic Queensland where it grows in rainforest and moist woodland. It has between three and seven egg-shaped leaves and up to six small white flowers with two lobes on the end of the labellum.

Banded fleshy jewel orchid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Subtribe: Goodyerinae
Genus: Cheirostylis
Species:
C. ovata
Binomial name
Cheirostylis ovata
Synonyms[1]

Description

Cheirostylis ovata is a tuberous, perennial herb with a rosette of between three and seven leaves, 2.5–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide lying flat on the ground. Up to six resupinate white flowers, 10–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide are borne on a flowering stem 100–250 mm (4–10 in) tall. The dorsal sepal is 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long, about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide and fused with the petals and with the lower half of the lateral sepals to form a tube. The lateral sepals are a similar size to the dorsal sepal and the petals are the same length but about half as wide. The labellum is 12–14 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and about 9 mm (0.4 in) wide, its tip divided into two lobes with broad teeth on the edges. Flowering occurs from August to October.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

The banded fleshy jewel orchid was first formally described in 1896 by Frederick Manson Bailey who gave it the name Gastrodia ovata and published the name in the Department of Agriculture Botany Bulletin.[5] In 1911, Rudolf Schlechter changed the name to Cheirostylis ovata.[6] The specific epithet (ovata) is a Latin word meaning "egg-shaped".[7]

Distribution and habitat

The banded fleshy jewel orchid grows in leaf litter and on rocks in rainforest and moist woodland between the Iron Range and Eungella.[3]

References
  1. "Cheirostylis ovata". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 347. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. D.L.Jones; T.Hopley; S.M.Duffy (2010). "Factsheet - Cheirostylis ovata". Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  4. Jones, David L. (1997). "A taxonomic revision of Cheirostylis (Orchidaceae) in Australia" (PDF). Muelleria. 10: 77–78. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  5. "Gastrodia ovata". APNI. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  6. "Cheirostylis ovata". APNI. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 580.
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