Green spur orchid facts for kids

The Crepidium flavovirens, also known as the green spur orchid, is a special plant. It belongs to the amazing orchid family. This orchid is found only in the tropical northern part of far North Queensland, Australia. It's an evergreen plant, meaning it stays green all year. It grows on the ground and has a thick stem, wavy leaves, and many yellowish-green flowers. These flowers grow close together on a green stem.

What Does the Green Spur Orchid Look Like?

The green spur orchid is a ground-dwelling plant. It's an evergreen herb, which means it doesn't have a woody stem. It often grows in loose groups. Each plant can have up to six thick, straight stems. These stems are about 100–300 mm (4–10 in) tall and 10–17 mm (0.4–0.7 in) wide.

Each orchid has between four and ten leaves. These leaves are mostly upright. They can be 100–250 mm (4–10 in) long and 30–60 mm (1–2 in) wide. The leaves are dark green and shiny. They also have an interesting, uneven shape.

The orchid produces many yellowish-green flowers. These flowers are packed closely together. They grow along a green flowering stem. This stem is quite delicate and can be 150–350 mm (6–10 in) long. Each flower is about 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide.

Orchid flowers have special parts. The top sepal (a leaf-like part) is 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long. It turns downwards. The side sepals are about 4 mm (0.2 in) long. They spread out from each other. The petals are similar in length but very narrow. They also curve downwards. The labellum is a unique lip-like petal. It's shaped like a horseshoe. It is about 5 mm (0.2 in) long and wide. It has six to eight small teeth near its tip. These orchids usually bloom between January and May.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The green spur orchid was first officially described in 1997. This was done by two botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements. They studied a plant sample found near Malanda. Their description was published in a science journal called Novon.

The second part of its scientific name, flavovirens, comes from Latin words. Flavus means "golden-yellow" or "yellow." Virens means "green." So, the name flavovirens perfectly describes its yellowish-green flowers.

Where Does This Orchid Live?

The green spur orchid grows in rainforests. It likes to live in the leaf litter on the ground. This is the layer of fallen leaves and twigs. You can often find it on steep slopes. These slopes are usually close to streams. This orchid grows in the area between Mossman and Tully in Queensland, Australia.