Snake orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snake orchid |
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| Cymbidium suave flower | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cymbidium
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| Species: |
suave
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| Synonyms | |
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Cymbidium gomphocarpum Fitzg. |
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The Snake Orchid (Cymbidium suave) is a special kind of plant. It belongs to the orchid family. This plant is also called the grassy boat-lip orchid. You can only find it growing naturally in eastern Australia.
The Snake Orchid is an epiphyte. This means it grows on other plants, like trees, but it doesn't take food from them. It forms big clumps of leaves that look like grass. Its flowers are usually olive green, dark green, or brownish green. Up to fifty of these flowers can grow on one stem. Unlike some other Cymbidium orchids in Australia, this one does not have large, round storage parts called pseudobulbs. It often grows inside hollows of old or fallen, decaying trees.
What the Snake Orchid Looks Like
The Snake Orchid is an epiphytic herb. This means it's a plant that grows on other plants and has soft, green stems, not woody ones. It forms clumps of leaves that look like grass. It does not have the large, round storage parts called pseudobulbs that many other orchids have.
Its stems can be about 30 to 50 centimeters (12 to 20 inches) long. They are covered with leaves that overlap each other. Each stem has between four and eight strap-shaped leaves. These leaves are about 30 to 45 centimeters (12 to 18 inches) long and 1.5 to 2 centimeters (0.6 to 0.8 inches) wide.
The orchid produces many flowers, usually between five and fifty of them. These flowers have a strong scent. They are olive green, dark green, or brownish green. Each flower is about 2.3 to 3.5 centimeters (0.9 to 1.4 inches) long and 2 to 3 centimeters (0.8 to 1.2 inches) wide. They grow on a stem that often bends or arches. This flower stem can be 10 to 30 centimeters (4 to 12 inches) long.
The flower parts include sepals and petals. The sepals are about 1.2 to 1.5 centimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long. The petals are a bit shorter, about 0.8 to 1.1 centimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) long. The labellum is a special lip-like petal. It is about 0.8 to 1.1 centimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) long. It is slightly divided into three parts. Snake orchids usually bloom between August and January.
How the Snake Orchid Got its Name
The Snake Orchid was first officially described in 1810. A famous botanist named Robert Brown gave it its scientific name. He wrote about it in a book called Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.
The second part of its scientific name, suave, comes from a Latin word. It means "sweet." This might be because of the strong, sweet smell of its flowers.
Where the Snake Orchid Lives
The Snake Orchid grows in woodlands and forests. It likes to live in the hollow parts of old trees. You can also find it on fallen, decaying logs.
It grows along the eastern coast of Australia. Its range stretches from Cooktown in Queensland down to Bega in New South Wales. It can also be found further inland, as far as Tamworth.
