Brown butterfly orchid facts for kids

The brown butterfly orchid (scientific name: Sarcochilus dilatatus) is a special type of orchid. It's called a "butterfly orchid" because its flowers can look a bit like butterflies! This small plant grows on other plants, like trees, but it doesn't harm them. It's found only in eastern Australia.

This orchid usually has thin, leathery leaves that are dark green. It can have up to twelve of these leaves. When it blooms, it produces beautiful brown or reddish-brown flowers. Each flower has a special part called a labellum, which is mostly white and yellow.

What Does It Look Like?

The brown butterfly orchid is a small plant that grows on other plants, like trees. This type of plant is called an epiphyte. Its stem is usually about 10–30 mm (0.4–1 in) long.

It has between four and twelve leaves. These leaves are thin, feel like leather, and are dark green. They are usually about 30–60 mm (1–2 in) long and 10 mm (0.4 in) wide.

The orchid produces between two and twelve flowers on a special stem. This flowering stem can be 30–70 mm (1–3 in) long. The flowers themselves are brown or dark reddish-brown. They are about 18–22 mm (0.7–0.9 in) long and 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) wide.

Each flower has parts called sepals and petals. The tips of these parts often look a bit wider than the rest. The top sepal is about 5–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long. The side sepals are a little longer. The petals are similar in size to the top sepal.

The most interesting part is the labellum. It is white with yellow and reddish-brown patterns. It's about 2 mm (0.08 in) long and 4 mm (0.16 in) wide. The labellum has three sections, called lobes. The two side lobes stand up and have reddish-brown lines. The middle lobe is short and thick, with a yellow tip.

These orchids usually bloom between September and October.

How It Got Its Name

The scientific name for this orchid is Sarcochilus dilatatus. It was first officially described in 1859. A famous botanist named Ferdinand von Mueller wrote about it. He published his description in a book called Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae.

The plant he described was found near Moreton Bay by another person named Walter Hill.

Where Does It Live?

The brown butterfly orchid is found only in eastern Australia. It usually grows on trees in drier rainforests. A common tree it grows on is the hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii).

You can find this orchid from Carnarvon Gorge and Gladstone in Queensland. It also grows south to the Richmond River area in New South Wales.

Protecting This Orchid

The brown butterfly orchid is very rare in New South Wales. There has only been one recent sighting of it in that state. Because it's so rare, it is listed as "endangered" there. This means it is at a high risk of disappearing forever.

The main dangers to this orchid are:

• Weed invasion: When unwanted plants (weeds) grow too much, they can take over the orchid's space and resources.
• Illegal collecting: Some people try to take these orchids from the wild. This harms the wild populations and makes them even rarer.

Protecting these special plants helps keep Australia's unique nature safe.