Microtis orbicularis

Microtis orbicularis, commonly known as the dark mignonette orchid,[2] is a species of orchid endemic to southern Australia. It has a single thin, more or less hollow, onion-like leaf and up to fifty small yellowish-green and red flowers. The plants grow in winter-wet areas, often in shallow water and unlike the similar M. cupularis do not turn black as they dry.

Dark 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. orbicularis
Binomial name
Microtis orbicularis
Synonyms[1]

Description

Microtis orbicularis is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, smooth, almost tubular leaf 100–300 mm (4–10 in) long and about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide. Between three and thirty yellowish-green and reddish flowers are well spaced along a flowering stem 10–50 mm (0.4–2 in), reaching to a height of 150–350 mm (6–10 in) tall. The flowers are about 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long and 2.5 mm (0.1 in) wide. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long and wide. The lateral sepals are linear, about 1 mm (0.04 in) long, 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide, pressed against the ovary and hidden below the labellum. The petals are lance-shaped to egg-shaped, 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and spread apart below the dorsal sepal. The labellum is more or less round, shallow cup-shaped, fleshy, 1.5–2.5 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long and wide. Flowering occurs from September to December.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

The dark mignonette orchid was first formally described in 1907 by Richard Sanders Rogers from a specimen collected from a swamp near Myponga.[6] In 2002, David Jones and Garry Brockman changed the name to Hydrorchis cupularis[7] but the change has not been accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The specific epithet (orbicularis) is a Latin word meaning "orbicular" or "having the form of a small circle", referring to the shape of the labellum.[2][8]

Distribution and habitat

Microtis orbicularis grows in swamps and seasonally wet depressions, sometimes with the base of the plant submerged. It is found between Dongara and Cape Le Grand in Western Australia, in coastal areas of eastern South Australia as far west as the Eyre Peninsula, in the south-west of Victoria and on the north coast of Tasmania.[2][4][9][10]

Conservation

Microtis orbicularis is classified as "not threatened" in Western Australia by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[11]

References
  1. "Microtis orbicularis". 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. 281. 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. pp. 220–221. ISBN 1877069124.
  4. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 348. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. Bates, Robert J. (1984). "The genus Microtis R.Br. (Orchidaceae): A taxonomic revision with notes on biology" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 7 (1): 58–60. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  6. "Microtis orbicularis". APNI. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  7. "Hydrorchis orbicularis". APNI. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  8. Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 266. ISBN 9780958034180.
  9. Jeanes, Jeff. "Microtis orbicularis". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  10. Jordan, Greg. "Microtis orbicularis". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  11. "Microtis orbicularis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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