Eungella king orchid facts for kids

The Dendrobium neospectabile, also known as the Eungella king orchid, is a special kind of orchid. It grows on other plants or rocks. This beautiful orchid is found only in tropical North Queensland, Australia. It has yellowish-green stems that look like bulbs, thick leaves, and many cream or pale yellow flowers. These flowers often have reddish-purple stripes on their lip-like part.

What the Eungella King Orchid Looks Like

The Eungella king orchid is a plant that grows on trees or rocks. It has roots that spread out. Its stems are like cylinders or spindles, and they are yellowish-green. These stems can be about 20 to 60 cm (8 to 24 inches) long and 2 to 4 cm (0.8 to 1.6 inches) wide.

Each stem usually has up to three thick, dark green leaves at its top. These leaves can be 16 to 40 cm (6 to 16 inches) long and 5 to 9 cm (2 to 3.5 inches) wide.

This orchid produces many flowers, usually between 150 and 250 of them. The flowers are cream-coloured to pale yellow. They are about 5.5 to 7.5 cm (2.2 to 3 inches) long and 6 to 7.5 cm (2.4 to 3 inches) wide. These flowers grow closely together on a flowering stem that is 25 to 55 cm (10 to 22 inches) long.

The orchid's flower parts include:

• The dorsal sepal (the top part) is oblong. It is 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2 inches) long and 0.4 to 0.7 cm (0.16 to 0.28 inches) wide. It tapers to a point.
• The lateral sepals (the side parts) are 2.5 to 3.5 cm (1 to 1.4 inches) long and 0.5 to 0.6 cm (0.2 to 0.24 inches) wide. They spread out at the bottom and then curve inwards.
• The petals are thin and oblong. They are 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.6 inches) long and 0.3 to 0.4 cm (0.12 to 0.16 inches) wide.
• The labellum (the lip-like part) is cream-coloured with purple marks. It is about 1 to 1.2 cm (0.4 to 0.47 inches) long and wide. It has three parts, called lobes. The side lobes stand upright, and the middle lobe has a flat tip.

The Eungella king orchid usually blooms between August and October.

How the Eungella King Orchid Got Its Name

The Eungella king orchid was first officially described in 2006. Two botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements, described it. They studied a plant that was grown in the Australian National Botanic Gardens. This plant came from a sample collected in the Eungella National Park.

They first named it Thelychiton spectabilis. This description was published in a research paper called Australian Orchid Research.

Later, in 2014, another botanist named Julian Shaw changed its name to Dendrobium neospectabile. He did this because the name Dendrobium spectabile was already used for a different type of orchid.

The word spectabilis in its original name is a Latin word. It means "notable" or "showy." This refers to how beautiful the orchid's flowers are. The word neo- means "new," "young," or "recent." So, neospectabile means "new showy orchid."

Where the Eungella King Orchid Lives

The Eungella king orchid grows in mountainous areas. You can find it in and around the Eungella National Park. It often grows on tall trees in rainforests. It also likes sheltered spots in open forests. Sometimes, you can even see it growing on cliffs and large rocks.