Furrowed pencil orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Furrowed pencil orchid |
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Dockrillia wassellii (S.T.Blake) Brieger |
The Dendrobium wassellii, often called the furrowed pencil orchid, is a special type of orchid. It grows only in a small part of Cape York Peninsula in Australia. This orchid can grow on trees (which is called epiphytic) or on rocks (which is called lithophytic). It has stems that branch out, and its leaves look like pencils with grooves. When it blooms, it has many white flowers with a yellow lip, called a labellum.
What Does the Furrowed Pencil Orchid Look Like?
The Dendrobium wassellii orchid has stems that spread out and creep along surfaces. These stems are about 4 to 5 mm thick. At the end of each branch, you'll find one or two hard, dull green leaves. Each leaf is shaped like a cylinder, about 5 to 12 mm long and 1 mm wide. It has five small grooves, or furrows, running along its length.
When the orchid flowers, it sends up stems that are 100 to 200 mm long. These stems can hold between ten and sixty flowers that are packed closely together. The flowers are a bright, sparkling white and measure about 14 to 18 mm long and 15 to 20 mm wide. The sepals (outer parts) and petals (inner parts) of the flower spread out wide, with their tips curving outwards. The sepals are about 10 to 14 mm long and 2 mm wide. The petals are a bit longer but narrower.
The most interesting part is the labellum, which is the orchid's lip. It's about 10 to 12 mm long and 3 mm wide. This labellum is curved and bright yellow, often with purple marks. It has three main parts, called lobes. The two side lobes stand up straight and have blunt ends. The middle lobe has wavy edges and three small ridges down its center. This beautiful orchid usually blooms from May to June.
How Did This Orchid Get Its Name?
The Dendrobium wassellii orchid was officially described for the first time in 1963. This was done by a scientist named Stanley Thatcher Blake. His description was published in a scientific paper called Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland.
The second part of its name, wassellii, was chosen to honor Joseph Leathom Wassell. He was a person who collected insects and orchids on Cape York. He sent these interesting plants to the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. However, it took ten years for them to be sent to the Queensland Herbarium and finally described by scientists.
Where Does This Orchid Live?
The furrowed pencil orchid likes to grow high up in rainforest trees. It especially loves to live near the tops of hoop pine trees (which are called Araucaria cunninghamii). You can find this orchid in the Iron and McIlwraith Ranges, both located on the Cape York Peninsula in Australia.
