Diuris fucosa facts for kids

Diuris fucosa is a special type of orchid. It grows only in New South Wales, Australia. This orchid has four to seven leaves. It also has up to four pale yellow flowers. These flowers have a few brown stripes. Diuris fucosa is very rare. It is found in only two places. These places are Callitris woodlands. Sadly, it is now considered "extinct" in Victoria.

What Does Diuris fucosa Look Like?

Diuris fucosa is a plant that grows from a tuber. A tuber is like a small underground storage part. It is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It is also a herb, so it has soft stems.

This orchid has four to seven long, thin leaves. They grow in a loose clump. The leaves are about 10 to 25 centimeters (4-10 inches) long. They are only 1 to 3.5 millimeters (0.04-0.14 inches) wide.

The plant can have up to four pale yellow flowers. These flowers are about 3 to 4 centimeters (1.2-1.6 inches) wide. They grow on a stem that is 15 to 30 centimeters (6-12 inches) tall.

Let's look at the flower parts:

• The top part, called the dorsal sepal, looks like an egg. It is held almost flat. It measures about 11 to 15 mm (0.4-0.6 inches) long. It is 7 to 11 mm (0.3-0.4 inches) wide.
• The side parts, called lateral sepals, are green. They are shaped like a spear. They are 15 to 25 mm (0.6-1 inch) long. They usually point downwards.
• The petals spread out from each other. They are shaped like an oval or an egg. They are 10 to 18 mm (0.4-0.7 inches) long. They grow on a green or brown stalk.
• The labellum is the orchid's special lip. It is about 15 to 22 mm (0.6-0.9 inches) long. It has three parts, called lobes.
  • The middle lobe is wide and egg-shaped. It is 12 to 17 mm (0.5-0.7 inches) long.
  • The two side lobes are smaller. They are 2 to 4 mm (0.08-0.16 inches) long. They have uneven edges.
• There are two thick, brown bumps on the labellum. These are called callus ridges.

Diuris fucosa flowers in August and September.

How Was Diuris fucosa Named?

The scientific name Diuris fucosa was first officially described in 2006. It was named by a botanist named David Jones. He found a sample of the orchid near a place called Urana. The description was published in a book called Australian Orchid Research.

The second part of its name, fucosa, comes from a Latin word. It means "painted," "fake," or "copied." This name was chosen because of the tan-brown markings on the orchid's lip (labellum). They look like they were painted on.

Where Does Diuris fucosa Live?

This rare orchid grows in special forests called Callitris woodlands. It is found in only two spots. These spots are located between the towns of Urana and Narrandera in New South Wales. One of these places is a state forest. The other is on private land.

There were once two old records of this orchid in Victoria. However, it is now considered "extinct" in that state. This means it no longer grows there naturally.