Mount Moffat doubletail facts for kids

Diuris exitela, commonly called the Mount Moffat doubletail, is a special type of orchid. It is found only in one specific area: central western Queensland, Australia. This unique plant has two long, thin leaves at its base. It grows up to twelve bright yellow flowers with dark brown markings. You can find the Mount Moffat doubletail growing on sandstone cliffs and rocky ridges.

What Does the Mount Moffat Doubletail Look Like?

The Mount Moffat doubletail is a plant that grows from a tuber, which is like a small underground storage organ. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. This orchid has two long, narrow leaves that are about 15 to 40 centimeters (6 to 16 inches) long. They are about 8 to 12 millimeters (0.3 to 0.5 inches) wide and are folded along their length.

This orchid produces between seven and twelve bright yellow flowers. These flowers have dark brown markings and are about 20 to 25 millimeters (0.8 to 1 inch) wide. They usually hang downwards on a flowering stem that can be 30 to 70 centimeters (12 to 28 inches) tall.

• The dorsal sepal is a part of the flower that sticks out forward. It is egg-shaped, about 9 to 12 millimeters long and 5 to 7 millimeters wide. It forms a hood over the rest of the flower.
• The lateral sepals are long and narrow, like a spearhead. They are green and purple-brown, about 10 to 16 millimeters long and 1 to 2 millimeters wide. These sepals point downwards and often cross over each other.
• The petals are held out flat or droop slightly. Each petal has an oval-shaped blade about 9 to 13 millimeters long and 5 to 8 millimeters wide. They sit on a green to purplish stalk about 4 to 6 millimeters long.
• The labellum (or lip) is a special part of the orchid flower, about 10 to 15 millimeters long. It has three main sections called lobes.
  • The center lobe is egg-shaped, about 9 to 12 millimeters long and 6 to 8 millimeters wide.
  • The side lobes are thin and purplish-brown, about 2 millimeters long and 1 millimeter wide.
• Near the base of the labellum, there are two small, raised ridges called calli. These are about 4.5 millimeters long.

The Mount Moffat doubletail orchid usually flowers during September and October.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The Diuris exitela orchid was officially described for the first time in 1991. This was done by a botanist named David Jones. He found a sample of the plant on Mount Moffat. The description was then published in a scientific journal called Australian Orchid Research.

The second part of its scientific name, exitela, comes from an Ancient Greek word. This word, exitelos, means "lessening," "fading," or "weakening." This name was chosen because the bright yellow color of the flowers fades quickly to a pale yellow as they get older.

Where Does This Orchid Live?

The Mount Moffat doubletail orchid mostly grows on sandstone cliffs and rocky ridges. You can also find it living between large sandstone rocks in woodlands. This special orchid is found in two main places in central western Queensland: on Mount Moffat and in Carnarvon Gorge.