Diuris brevissima facts for kids

The Diuris brevissima is a special kind of orchid. It is found only in New South Wales, Australia. This means it is endemic to that area.

This orchid has two leaves that fold in half. It grows up to nine light yellow flowers. These flowers have cool reddish-brown marks on them. Not much is known about this plant. It has only been seen in the Blue Mountains.

What Does It Look Like?

The Diuris brevissima is a plant that grows from a tuber. A tuber is like a small underground storage part, similar to a potato. This orchid is a perennial herb, which means it lives for many years.

It has two long, thin leaves. Each leaf is about 300 mm (12 inches) long and 6 mm (0.2 inches) wide. They are folded along their length.

The plant grows a flowering stem up to 350 mm (14 inches) tall. On this stem, you can find between two and nine flowers. Each flower is light yellow with reddish-brown marks. They are about 20 mm (0.8 inches) wide.

• The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, stands up straight. It is shaped like a wide egg and is about 8 to 10 mm long.
• The side parts, or lateral sepals, are thin. They are about 10 mm long and point downwards.
• The petals of the flower are broad and almost round.
• The labellum is like the orchid's "lip." It is about 6 to 8 mm long and has three parts. The middle part is egg-shaped. The side parts are oblong.
• There are also two small ridges, called calli, on the middle of the labellum.

This orchid usually blooms in October.

How It Got Its Name

The Diuris brevissima was first described in 1939 by a scientist named William Henry Nicholls. He used colorful drawings made by Robert D. FitzGerald to help him. These drawings were of a plant found in Lawson.

However, Nicholls did not include a Latin description at first. This was a rule for naming plants. So, in 1942, Nicholls formally described the species again. This time, he followed all the rules.

The special name brevissima comes from a Latin word. It means "shortest."

Where It Lives

The Diuris brevissima is a rare plant. It is mainly found in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. It likes to grow in forests there.

Even though some old records mentioned this orchid growing in Ararat in Victoria, we now know it does not grow in Victoria. It is truly a special plant of the Blue Mountains.