Common button orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Common button orchid |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Dendrobium
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| Species: |
lichenastrum
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The Dendrobium lichenastrum, also known as the common button orchid, is a special type of orchid. It grows on other plants or rocks. This orchid is found only in far north Queensland, Australia.
It has a creeping stem called a rhizome. This stem branches out and is covered in thin, papery layers. The leaves are small, round, and dark green. Each plant usually has a single flower. The flower can be white, cream, or pink. It often has red stripes and a bright orange lip, which is called a labellum.
What Does the Common Button Orchid Look Like?
The common button orchid is a plant that grows on trees or rocks. It has stems (rhizomes) that creep and branch out. These stems are about 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. They are covered in papery layers. The stems spread out like a mat over the surface where the orchid grows.
The leaves are shaped like an egg or are almost perfectly round. They are about 4 to 10 millimeters (0.16 to 0.39 inches) wide. These leaves lie flat against the surface.
A single flower grows from the base of a leaf. The flower can be white, cream, or pink. It has red stripes. The flower sits on a thin stalk up to 15 millimeters (0.59 inches) long.
The flower itself is small, about 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.20 inches) long. It is also 4 to 7 millimeters (0.16 to 0.28 inches) wide. A bright orange lip (labellum) stands out on the flower.
The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, is egg-shaped. It stands upright. It is about 4 to 5 millimeters long and 2.5 millimeters wide. The side sepals are shaped like triangles. They are also 4 to 5 millimeters long and about 4 millimeters wide. These side sepals spread wide apart.
The petals are thin and long. They are similar in length to the sepals but much narrower. The labellum (lip) is oblong. It is about 7 millimeters long and 2 millimeters wide. It feels thick and has thick edges. This orchid can bloom at different times throughout the year.
How the Common Button Orchid Got Its Name
The common button orchid was first officially described in 1901. A scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller gave it the name Bulbophyllum lichenastrum. He wrote about it in a book called Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. He used a plant sample collected by John Dallachy near Rockingham Bay.
Later, in 1905, another scientist named Robert Allen Rolfe changed its name. He renamed it Dendrobium lichenastrum.
The second part of its scientific name, lichenastrum, comes from ancient Greek words. Leichen means "a lichen," which is a type of moss-like plant. Astron means "a star." So, the name hints at its appearance, perhaps like a star-shaped lichen.
Where the Common Button Orchid Lives
The Dendrobium lichenastrum orchid grows in rainforests. You can find it on rocks, cliffs, and trees. Its habitat stretches between Mount Finnigan and Mackay in Queensland, Australia.
