Common Christmas orchid facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Common Christmas orchid
Scientific classification
Genus:	Calanthe
Species:	triplicata

The Common Christmas orchid, known scientifically as Calanthe triplicata, is a beautiful plant from the orchid family. It grows naturally in Oceania, Asia, and the islands of eastern Africa. This orchid is a ground-growing plant. It forms groups with many pseudobulbs, which are like swollen stems. Its leaves are dark green and have a wavy texture. The plant can produce up to forty white flowers. The parts of the flower, called sepals and petals, look quite similar. The special lower petal, called the labellum, has three parts that spread out and a yellow raised area called a callus.

What Does It Look Like?

The Calanthe triplicata is a ground-growing plant that stays green all year. It grows in clumps and has many thick, oval-shaped pseudobulbs. These pseudobulbs are about 40–80 mm (2–3 in) long and 20–40 mm (0.8–2 in) wide.

Each plant has four to nine dark green leaves. These leaves are shaped like a spear, about 250–900 mm (10–40 in) long and 60–180 mm (2–7 in) wide. They become narrower towards the bottom. The leaves have many veins, with some being more noticeable than others.

The orchid produces between eighteen and forty white flowers. These flowers are about 25–35 mm (0.98–1.4 in) wide. They grow close together near the top of a tall stem, which can be 50–1,500 mm (2–60 in) long.

• Sepals: These are the outer parts of the flower, shaped like an egg. They are about 6–19 mm (0.2–0.7 in) long and 6–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide.
• Petals: The petals are similar in shape to the sepals. They are about 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long and 2–6 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide.
• Labellum: This is the orchid's special lower petal. It has three parts that spread out widely. These parts are about 4–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long and 2–6 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide. The middle part is even further divided into two sections.
• Spur: Behind the labellum, there is a curved tube called a spur. It is about 10–30 mm (0.4–1 in) long.

In Australia, these orchids usually bloom from October to February. In China, they flower in April and May.

How It Got Its Name

The Common Christmas orchid was first officially described in 1796. A botanist named (Pierre) Remi Willemet gave it the name Orchis triplicata. He published this description in a book called Annalen der Botanick.

Later, in 1907, another botanist named Oakes Ames changed its name to Calanthe triplicata.

The second part of its scientific name, triplicata, comes from Latin words. The Latin word tris means "thrice" or "three times". The word plicatus means "folded". This name likely refers to the three-parted or folded shape of its labellum.

Where It Lives

The Calanthe triplicata orchid can be found in many places around the world. It lives in Mauritius, Madagascar, and Seychelles in Africa. In Asia, it is found in places like Assam, the eastern Himalayas, southern India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, south China, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Bismark Islands, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands.

It also grows in Oceania, including Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Marquesas, Santa Cruz Islands, Caroline Islands, and the Marianas Islands.

In Australia, you can find it from the Iron Range in Queensland down to the Illawarra in New South Wales. It also grows on Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island.

This orchid prefers to grow in forests where it's very wet and shady. This includes broad-leaved evergreen forests, rainforests, and other damp woodlands.

Images for kids

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  Labellum detail

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  Illustration by Lewis Roberts

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  Habit near Binna Burra

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  Labelled image