Macleay River doubletail facts for kids

The Diuris disposita, also known as the Macleay River doubletail or Willawarrin doubletail, is a special type of orchid. It only grows in a small part of New South Wales, Australia. This plant usually has one or two long, thin leaves. Its flowers are yellow with brown spots, and there can be up to seven on one stem. Sadly, fewer than 50 of these plants are left in the wild, growing in grassy forests near Kempsey.

What the Macleay River Doubletail Looks Like

The Macleay River doubletail is a type of herbaceous plant that grows from a tuber (a swollen underground stem). It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years.

• Leaves: It usually has just one long, thin leaf. This leaf can be about 15 to 30 centimetres (6 to 12 inches) long and 4 to 5 millimetres (0.16 to 0.20 inches) wide.
• Flowers: The plant produces a tall flowering stem, about 20 to 35 centimetres (8 to 14 inches) high. On this stem, you can find between two and seven yellow flowers. Each flower has brown markings and is about 20 millimetres (0.79 inches) wide.
• Sepals:
  • The top sepal (called the dorsal sepal) points forward. It is egg-shaped, about 7 to 11 millimetres (0.28 to 0.43 inches) long and 4 to 7 millimetres (0.16 to 0.28 inches) wide.
  • The side sepals (called lateral sepals) are green and brownish. They are long and thin, like a sword, about 10 to 24 millimetres (0.39 to 0.94 inches) long and 2 millimetres (0.079 inches) wide. They point downwards and can be parallel or crossed over each other.
• Petals: The petals stand mostly upright and are spread apart. They have an oval or egg-shaped blade, about 6 to 9 millimetres (0.24 to 0.35 inches) long and 4.5 to 6.5 millimetres (0.18 to 0.26 inches) wide. Each petal sits on a green stalk about 4 to 7 millimetres (0.16 to 0.28 inches) long.
• Labellum: The labellum (the special lip petal of an orchid) is about 7 to 9 millimetres (0.28 to 0.35 inches) long and has three parts, called lobes.
  • The middle lobe is egg-shaped and about 4 to 7 millimetres (0.16 to 0.28 inches) wide.
  • The two side lobes are thin and oblong, about 2 to 3 millimetres (0.079 to 0.118 inches) long and 1 millimetre (0.039 inches) wide.
• Calli: There are also two small, raised ridges (called calli) about 4.5 millimetres (0.18 inches) long near the base of the labellum.
• Flowering Time: These orchids usually bloom in September and October.

How the Macleay River Doubletail Got Its Name

The Diuris disposita was first officially described in 1991 by a botanist named David Jones. He found a specimen (a sample plant) of this orchid near the north-west of Kempsey.

The name disposita comes from a Latin word that means "distributed" or "arranged." This name was chosen because the flowers are spaced out along the flowering stem.

Where the Macleay River Doubletail Lives

The Macleay River doubletail grows in open forests with lots of grass. You can find it near the Macleay River, which is north-west of Kempsey in New South Wales.

Protecting the Macleay River Doubletail

The Macleay River doubletail is listed as "endangered" under the New South Wales Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. This means it is at a very high risk of disappearing forever.

• Low Numbers: There are fewer than 50 of these plants known to exist in the wild.
• No Protection in Reserves: None of these plants are found in special areas like national parks or nature reserves, which are set aside to protect wildlife.
• Main Dangers: The biggest threats to this orchid are:
  • Illegal collecting: People sometimes try to take these rare plants from the wild.
  • Habitat destruction: The places where they grow are being destroyed, often by development or clearing land.
  • Inappropriate fire regimes: The way fires are managed in their habitat can also harm them.

It's very important to protect these special orchids so they don't vanish!