Common wasp orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Common wasp orchid |
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Chiloglottis diphylla, commonly known as the common wasp orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Australia. It has two broad leaves and a single narrow, greenish brown to reddish flower with a black, insect-like callus covering the upper surface of the labellum.
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Description
Chiloglottis diphylla is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with two leaves 30–60 mm (1–2 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide. A single greenish brown to reddish flower 30–45 mm (1–2 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide is borne on a flowering stem 70–100 mm (3–4 in) high. The dorsal sepal is spatula-shaped, 12–14 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide with a glandular tip a further 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The lateral sepals are 15–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long, about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide and curve downwards. There is a glandular tip 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long on the end of each lateral sepal. The petals are oblong, 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and turned strongly downwards. The labellum is diamond-shaped, 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide with a black, insect-like callus covering most of its upper surface. Flowering occurs from February to May.
Taxonomy and naming
Chiloglottis diphylla was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.
Distribution and habitat
The common wasp orchid grows in moist places in shrubby forest on the coast and ranges between Carnarvon Gorge in Queensland and Batemans Bay in New South Wales.
