Smooth burr orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smooth burr orchid |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Dendrobium
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| Species: |
taylorii
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The smooth burr orchid, also known as Dendrobium taylorii, is a special type of orchid. It grows on other plants or rocks. This orchid is found only in tropical North Queensland, Australia.
This plant has a single, tough, dark green leaf. It grows on a stem that looks like a cylinder. The smooth burr orchid produces one or two small white flowers. Unlike some other burr orchids, tiny insects help this species make seeds. You can find it growing in rainforests, mangrove swamps, and sheltered forests.
Contents
What Does the Smooth Burr Orchid Look Like?
The smooth burr orchid is a plant that often grows in small, thick groups. It can grow on trees, acting like an air plant. It can also grow on rocks, which means it is a rock plant.
Stems and Leaves
This orchid has a stem that is shaped like a cylinder. It is usually about 40 to 100 millimeters (1.6 to 3.9 inches) long. The stem is also about 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.20 inches) wide. Each stem has one tough, dark green leaf. This leaf is shaped like an oblong and is about 30 to 50 millimeters (1.2 to 2.0 inches) long. It is also about 8 to 120 millimeters (0.31 to 4.72 inches) wide.
Flowers and Pollination
The smooth burr orchid produces one or two white flowers at a time. Each flower is about 10 to 12 millimeters (0.39 to 0.47 inches) wide. The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, is about 6 millimeters (0.24 inches) long. The side sepals are about the same length but twice as wide. The petals are very narrow, less than 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide.
The special lower petal, called the labellum, is about 8 millimeters (0.31 inches) long. It is also about 5 millimeters (0.20 inches) wide. This labellum has three parts, called lobes. The side lobes are oblong. The middle lobe is thick and points downwards. It is covered with many tiny hairs.
The smooth burr orchid flowers between November and May. Its flowers stay open for many weeks. Insects help to pollinate these flowers. This means insects carry pollen from one flower to another, helping the plant make seeds.
Where Does the Smooth Burr Orchid Live?
The smooth burr orchid grows on trees and rocks. You can find it in rainforests, mangrove areas, and protected forests. Its home range is in North Queensland, Australia. It grows in the area between the Iron Range and Townsville.
How Was it Named?
The smooth burr orchid was first officially described in 1874. A scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller gave it the name Bulbophyllum taylori. He wrote about it in a book called Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. He studied a plant sample collected near the Bloomfield River by a person named Norman Taylor.
Later, in 1885, another scientist named Frederick Manson Bailey changed its name. He renamed it Dendrobium taylorii. The second part of its name, taylorii, is a way to honor Norman Taylor. He was the one who found the original plant sample.
