Dense midge orchid facts for kids

The Corunastylis densa, also known as the dense midge orchid, is a tiny orchid that grows only in eastern Australia. It's called "terrestrial" because it grows in the ground, not on other plants. This special orchid has a single, thin leaf that's joined to its flower stem. It can have up to 25 flowers, which are usually reddish-brown or dark purplish-brown and grow very close together. You can find this orchid growing from the New England National Park all the way to the Moroka River.

What Does It Look Like?

The dense midge orchid is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also a deciduous herb, so its leaves fall off at certain times of the year. This orchid grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small, round storage organ.

It has one thin leaf, about 60 to 80 millimeters (2.4 to 3.1 inches) long. This leaf is fused, or joined, to the flowering stem. Only a small part of the leaf, about 6 to 12 millimeters (0.2 to 0.5 inches) long, is free from the stem.

The plant produces between five and twenty-five flowers. These flowers are reddish-brown to dark purplish-brown and are packed tightly together along a flowering stem that is 8 to 15 millimeters (0.3 to 0.6 inches) long. Each flower hangs downwards and is about 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) long and 3.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) wide.

Like other orchids in its genus, Corunastylis, these flowers are "inverted." This means their labellum (a special lip-like petal) is above the column (the central part of the flower), instead of below it.

Let's look closer at the flower parts:

• The dorsal sepal (the top part of the flower) is about 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) long and 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inches) wide. It has smooth edges and a sharp, pointed tip.
• The lateral sepals (the two side parts) are about 4.5 millimeters (0.18 inches) long and 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. They point downwards and spread wide apart. Each has a tiny, white gland at its tip.
• The petals are about 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) long and 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. They also have a white gland on their tip.
• The labellum is shaped like an ellipse or an egg, narrower at the base. It's about 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) long and 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. This part is thick and fleshy.
• There's a special raised area called a callus in the center of the labellum, which almost reaches its tip.

These orchids usually bloom from December to February.

How It Got Its Name

The dense midge orchid was first officially described in 1885 by a botanist named Robert D. FitzGerald. He gave it the name Prasophyllum densum. His description was published in a science journal called Journal of Botany, British and Foreign.

Later, in 2005, two other botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements, changed its name to Corunastylis densa. The word densa in its scientific name comes from Latin and means "thick" or "close." This likely refers to how its flowers grow very close together.

Where It Grows

You can find Corunastylis densa growing in different types of environments. It lives in areas between Point Lookout in New South Wales and the Moroka River in Victoria. However, it does not grow in the Snowy Mountains or the Australian Capital Territory.