Wax orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wax orchid |
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| Bulbophyllum weinthalii in the Australian National Botanic Gardens | |
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The wax orchid, officially called Bulbophyllum weinthalii, is a unique type of orchid. It grows in dense groups on hoop pine trees. This plant is an epiphyte, which means it grows on other plants but does not harm them. It gets its nutrients from the air and rain, not from the tree it lives on.
Each wax orchid plant has crowded, swollen stems called pseudobulbs. These pseudobulbs help the plant store water and nutrients. From each pseudobulb grows a single, thin, dark green leaf. The orchid also produces a single, beautiful flower. These flowers can be white, green, or cream-colored, often with red or purple spots. You can find the wax orchid growing in rainforests from southeastern Queensland down to Dorrigo National Park in New South Wales, Australia.
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What the Wax Orchid Looks Like
The wax orchid is a herbaceous plant, meaning it has soft stems instead of woody ones. It forms thick clumps on trees. Its pseudobulbs, which are like small, round storage units, are about 10 to 20 millimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long. They are covered with a white layer.
Each pseudobulb has one leaf. This leaf is thin, feels like leather, and is dark green. It's shaped like an oval or an egg, measuring about 20 to 30 millimeters (0.8 to 1.2 inches) long.
The orchid produces a single flower that is white, green, or cream. It often has red or purplish marks. The flower is about 5 to 7 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long and 15 to 20 millimeters (0.6 to 0.8 inches) wide. The parts of the flower, like the sepals and petals, are thick, fleshy, and feel waxy.
Flower Parts
- The dorsal sepal is the top sepal. It's shaped like an oblong or an egg, about 8 to 12 millimeters (0.3 to 0.5 inches) long.
- The lateral sepals are the two side sepals. They are triangular and spread wide apart. They are about 9 to 13 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) long.
- The petals are about 6 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long and curve inwards.
- The labellum is a special lip-like petal. It's about 8 millimeters (0.3 inches) long, thick, and fleshy. It has a groove down its middle.
Wax orchids usually bloom between March and May.
How Scientists Name and Classify the Wax Orchid
The way scientists name and group living things is called taxonomy. The wax orchid, Bulbophyllum weinthalii, was first officially described in 1933. A scientist named Richard Sanders Rogers wrote about it in a scientific journal. He studied a plant sample collected by "Mr. F.A. Weinthal."
The second part of the orchid's scientific name, weinthalii, honors Mr. Weinthal. He was the person who found the original plant sample, known as the type specimen, that scientists used to describe the species.
Different Types of Wax Orchids
There are two main types, or subspecies, of the wax orchid:
- Bulbophyllum weinthalii subsp. weinthalii is often called the blotched wax orchid. Its flowers have colored spots and blotches. This subspecies is found more in the southern parts of the orchid's range.
- Bulbophyllum weinthalii subsp. striatum is known as the streaked wax orchid. Its flowers have colored stripes or streaks. This subspecies grows more in the northern areas and at lower elevations than the blotched wax orchid.
Where the Wax Orchid Lives
The wax orchid grows on the rough bark of the upper branches of hoop pine trees. It lives in rainforests. You can find it from the Kroombit Tops National Park in Queensland down to the Dorrigo National Park in New South Wales. The streaked wax orchid subspecies (striatum) is only found in the very northern part of this area.
