Three-horned bird orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Three-horned bird orchid |
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| Chiloglottis triceratops near Ridgeway in Tasmania | |
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The three-horned bird orchid (Chiloglottis triceratops) is a special type of orchid that grows only in Tasmania, Australia. It gets its name because its flower has parts that look a bit like the horns of a Triceratops dinosaur! This orchid has two wide leaves and a flower that can be greenish-brown or purplish-brown.
What Does the Three-Horned Bird Orchid Look Like?
The three-horned bird orchid is a plant that grows from the ground. It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so it loses its leaves at certain times. This plant has two leaves, each about 30 to 60 mm long and 10 to 25 mm wide.
A single flower grows on a stem that is about 15 to 40 mm tall. The flower itself is greenish-brown to purplish-brown. It measures about 15 to 24 mm long and 25 to 30 mm wide.
The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, looks like a spatula or an egg shape. It's about 15 to 24 mm long. The side sepals are long and narrow, about 15 to 20 mm long. All three sepals have a small, sticky tip at the end.
The petals are curved and pointed, about 15 to 20 mm long. They curve forward. The most interesting part is the labellum, which is like the orchid's "lip." It's broadly egg-shaped or heart-shaped, about 12 to 15 mm long. In the middle of the labellum, there are brown or black bumps called calli. One of these calli is taller, about 3 to 4 mm high, surrounded by shorter ones. These tall calli are what make it look like a dinosaur's horns!
The central part of the flower, called the column, is greenish-brown with dark red stripes. It's about 15 to 16 mm long. This orchid usually blooms from November to January.
How Did It Get Its Name?
The three-horned bird orchid was officially described in 1998 by a botanist named David Jones. The second part of its scientific name, triceratops, comes from the famous dinosaur Triceratops. This is because the tall bumps (calli) on the orchid's labellum look a lot like the horns of that dinosaur!
Where Does It Live?
This special orchid is quite common and can be found all over Tasmania. It likes to grow in forests that have lots of shrubs and heath plants. You can often find many of these orchids growing together in large groups.
