Yellow rope orchid facts for kids
Bulbophyllum wadsworthii, also known as the yellow rope orchid, is a special kind of orchid. It's called a "rope orchid" because it grows in hanging clumps, like ropes, on other plants or rocks. This orchid is an epiphyte, meaning it grows on trees, or a lithophyte, meaning it grows on rocks. It doesn't take food from its host; it just uses it for support.
The yellow rope orchid has small, hidden stems called pseudobulbs. Each stem has one thick, dark green leaf. Its flowers are star-shaped and can be cream or pale green, with a bright orange lip called a labellum. You can find this unique plant mostly in rainforests in Queensland, Australia, where it is endemic, meaning it's only found there.
Quick facts for kids Yellow rope orchid |
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| Bulbophyllum wadsworthii in the Malaan National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Bulbophyllum
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| Species: |
wadsworthii
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| Synonyms | |
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Oxysepala shepherdii (Dockrill) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
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Contents
What Does the Yellow Rope Orchid Look Like?
The yellow rope orchid is a herb that forms hanging clumps. It can grow on trees or rocks. Its stems, called pseudobulbs, are shaped like cylinders. They are about 5 to 6 millimeters (0.2 inches) long and 3 to 4 millimeters (0.1 inches) wide. These stems grow along longer main stems, which can be 50 to 250 millimeters (2 to 10 inches) long. Brown, papery covers called bracts partly hide the pseudobulbs.
Each pseudobulb has one leaf. The leaves are dark green, thick, and shaped like an oval or oblong. They are about 30 to 60 millimeters (1 to 2 inches) long and 6 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) wide. The top surface of the leaf has a groove.
The Orchid's Star-Shaped Flowers
The flowers of the yellow rope orchid are cream-colored or pale green. They grow in groups of up to three flowers. Each flower looks like a star and is about 5 to 6 millimeters (0.2 inches) long and wide. The flower parts, called sepals and petals, are thick. The sepals are about 5 to 7 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. The petals are smaller, about 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inches) long.
The most noticeable part of the flower is its orange labellum, which is like a lip. It's about 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) long and wide. This labellum has a sharp bend in the middle. The yellow rope orchid usually blooms from September to November.
How Was This Orchid Named?
The yellow rope orchid, Bulbophyllum wadsworthii, was officially described in 1964. A botanist named Alick Dockrill wrote about it in a magazine called The Orchadian. He described it from a plant collected by "K. Wadsworth" near a town called Ravenshoe.
The second part of its scientific name, wadsworthii, is called the specific epithet. It was chosen to honor K. Wadsworth, the person who found the original plant that was used to describe the species. This original plant is known as the type specimen.
Where Does the Yellow Rope Orchid Live?
The yellow rope orchid usually lives on trees and rocks in rainforests. Sometimes, you can also find it growing on the trunks of tree ferns. It can even grow on trees left in cleared farm fields.
This orchid is found in a specific area of Queensland, Australia. Its home stretches from the Cedar Bay National Park in the north down to the Paluma Range National Park in the south.
