Microtis eremaea

Microtis eremaea, commonly known as the slender mignonette orchid[2] or inland onion orchid[3] is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia and western South Australia. It has a single thin, hollow, onion-like leaf and up to fifty small greenish-yellow flowers. The flowers have a distinctive heart-shaped labellum and the orchid generally grows in more inland areas than most other onion orchids.

Slender mignonette orchid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Microtis
Species:
M. eremaea
Binomial name
Microtis eremaea
Synonyms[1]

Description

Microtis eremaea is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, smooth, tubular leaf 300–450 mm (10–20 in) long and 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide. Between ten and fifty yellowish-green flowers are crowded along a flowering stem 300–400 mm (10–20 in) tall. The flowers are 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, 1.5–2 mm (0.06–0.08 in) wide with an ovary 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The dorsal sepal is 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and hood-like. The lateral sepals are about 2 mm (0.08 in) long, 1 mm (0.04 in) wide with their tips rolled downwards. The petals are 1.5 mm (0.06 in) long, 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and are partly enclosed by the dorsal sepal. The labellum is heart-shaped, 1.5–2 mm (0.06–0.08 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and curves downwards with slightly wavy edges. Flowering occurs from August to October.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Microtis eremaea was first formally described in 1996 by Robert Bates from a specimen collected on a granite outcrop west of Mount Magnet and the description was published in Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden.[6] The specific epithet (eremaea) is derived from Latin eremaea, referring to the arid habitat of this orchid.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Microtis eremaea mostly grows on granite outcrops or near temporary watercourses, sometimes forming dense colonies. It is found between Balladonia and Cue in Western Australia and in the west of South Australia.[2][3][4]

Conservation

Microtis eremaea is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[7]

References
  1. "Microtis eremaea". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 285. ISBN 9780980296457.
  3. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 223. ISBN 1877069124.
  4. Bates, Robert J. (1996). "Arid land Microtis (Orchidaceae) in Western Australia with the description of three new taxa" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. 17: 119–120. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  5. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 344. ISBN 9780646562322.
  6. "Microtis eremaea". APNI. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  7. "Microtis eremaea". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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