Spotted elbow orchid facts for kids

The spotted elbow orchid (scientific name: Arthrochilus sabulosus) is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the orchid family. This special orchid is found only in Tropical North Queensland and Horn Island in Australia. It has dull green leaves that grow in a circle, like a rosette. The plant also produces up to fifteen pale green flowers. These flowers look a bit like insects and have reddish or brownish spots called glands on their "lip" (called a labellum).

What Does the Spotted Elbow Orchid Look Like?

The spotted elbow orchid is a plant that grows in the ground. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It is also deciduous, so its leaves fall off at certain times. This orchid has an underground part called a tuber. This tuber can grow new "daughter" tubers on root-like stolons.

Leaves and Flowers

At the base of the flowering stem, you will find two or three leaves. These leaves are shaped like an egg or a spear. They are about 10–35 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 6–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide.

The plant grows a flowering stem that is 120–370 mm (5–10 in) tall. On this stem, there are usually three to fifteen flowers. Each flower is pale green and looks like a tiny insect. They are about 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long.

Flower Parts

The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, is thin and pointed. It is about 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. This sepal partly wraps around the base of the column. The side sepals are curved and spear-shaped. They are about 7.5–8 mm (0.30–0.31 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide.

The petals are also thin and curved. They are about 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long and 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. Both the side sepals and petals bend back against the ovary.

The Labellum and Column

The "lip" of the flower, called the labellum, is green. It has a dark purple spot at its base. The labellum is about 6 mm (0.2 in) long and 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. It sits on a short stalk. There is a special part on the labellum called a callus. This callus looks like an insect and is about 4.5 mm (0.2 in) long. It has reddish-brown, hair-like glands in the middle. The tip of the callus is brownish with shiny black glands.

The column is about 9 mm (0.4 in) long and curved. It is light green with some purple spots. It also has two pairs of curved "wings." This orchid usually flowers between November and July.

How Was the Spotted Elbow Orchid Named?

The scientific name Arthrochilus sabulosus was first officially described in 1991. A botanist named David Jones described it. He found a sample of the orchid on Horn Island. His description was published in a scientific book called Australian Orchid Research.

The second part of its scientific name, sabulosus, comes from a Latin word. It means "full of sand" or "sandy." This name was chosen because this orchid often grows in sandy areas.

Where Does the Spotted Elbow Orchid Live?

The spotted elbow orchid grows in sand dunes. These dunes usually have scrub vegetation, which means small trees and bushes. You can find this orchid in the northern part of the Cape York Peninsula. It also lives on Horn Island in the Torres Strait.

How Does the Spotted Elbow Orchid Reproduce?

Like other Arthrochilus orchids, the spotted elbow orchid needs help to make seeds. It is pollinated by male thynnid wasps. These wasps belong to a group called Arthrothynnus. We don't know the exact type of wasp that pollinates this specific orchid yet.

Besides making seeds, this orchid can also make new plants on its own. It does this by growing new tubers underground. This is a way of asexual reproduction.