Microtis familiaris

Microtis familiaris, commonly known as the coastal mignonette orchid[2] or coastal onion orchid[3] is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west coastal region of Western Australia. It has a single hollow, onion-like leaf and up to twenty small, green to greenish-yellow, sweetly scented, widely spaced flowers. It often grows with large populations of other Microtis orchids but only flowers after fire.

Coastal 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. familiaris
Binomial name
Microtis familiaris

Description

Microtis familiaris is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, smooth, tubular leaf 80–200 mm (3–8 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide. Between ten and twenty green to greenish-yellow flowers are well spaced along a flowering stem 100–250 mm (4–10 in) tall. The flowers are 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and are sweetly scented. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped with a small point on the tip and is 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, 1.5–2 mm (0.06–0.08 in) wide and hood-like. The lateral sepals are lance-shaped, 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and turn back with their tips clasping the ovary. The petals are about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) long, 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide and are partly enclosed by the dorsal sepal. The labellum is oblong, 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and parallel to the ovary with a saddle-shaped callus in its centre. Flowering occurs from December to January but only after fire the previous summer.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Microtis familiaris was first formally described in 1990 by Robert John Bates from a specimen collected at Boat Harbour near Denmark and the description was published in Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.[6] The specific epithet (familiaris) is a Latin word meaning "of a family or household" or "domestic",[7] referring to the observation that this orchid often grows with other Microtis species.[5]

Distribution and habitat

The coastal mignonette orchid grows in swampy heath in coastal areas between Augusta and Esperance in the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest and Warren biogeographic regions.[2][3][4][8]

Conservation

Microtis familiaris is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[8]

References
  1. "Microtis familiaris". 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. 286. 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. 224. ISBN 1877069124.
  4. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 346. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. Bates, Robert J. (1990). "Notes on the genus Microtis (Orchidaceae) in Western Australia with the description of two new taxa" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 13: 50–51. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  6. "Microtis familiaris". APNI. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 315.
  8. "Microtis familiaris". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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