Diuris striata facts for kids

Diuris striata is a type of orchid that is only found in New South Wales, Australia. It's not very well-known. This orchid has two leaves that look like grass. It also grows about four pretty mauve (light purple) flowers. These flowers have dark purple stripes on their special lower petal, called the labellum.

What it Looks Like

Diuris striata is a plant that grows from a tuber (a swollen underground stem, like a potato). It's a perennial herb, which means it lives for more than two years and doesn't have a woody stem. It has two long, thin leaves that are about 80 to 120 millimeters (3 to 5 inches) long and about 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) wide. These leaves are folded along their length.

The plant usually has about four mauve (light purple) flowers. Each flower is about 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) wide. They grow on a stem that stands about 220 millimeters (8.7 inches) tall.

• The top petal, called the dorsal sepal, stands upright. It's shaped like an egg and is about 7 to 9 millimeters (0.28 to 0.35 inches) long and 3 to 6 millimeters (0.12 to 0.24 inches) wide.
• The side petals, called lateral sepals, are long and thin. They are about 15 millimeters (0.6 inches) long and point downwards.
• The main petals spread out. They are egg-shaped or spear-shaped, about 7 millimeters (0.28 inches) long and 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) wide.
• The labellum (the lower lip petal) is about 9 millimeters (0.35 inches) long and has three parts, called lobes.
  • The middle lobe is egg-shaped or heart-shaped and about 6 millimeters (0.24 inches) wide. It has dark purple stripes.
  • The side lobes are thin or egg-shaped, about 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) long and 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide.
• There are also two raised ridges, called callus ridges, on the labellum. They are about 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) long.

So far, these orchids have only been seen flowering in November.

How it Got its Name

The Diuris striata orchid was officially described for the first time in 1944. This was done by a botanist named Herman Rupp. He wrote about it in his book, The Orchids of New South Wales.

Rupp mentioned that he didn't have any actual plant samples. Instead, he used a short description from a handbook by Moore and Betche. This handbook was called "Handbook of the flora of New South Wales." It described the flowers as "lilac" (a pale purple color). It also noted that the labellum had "darker lines" or bars, not blotches.

The second part of the orchid's name, striata, comes from a Latin word. "Stria" means "furrow," "channel," or "stripe." This name fits well because the orchid's labellum has distinct dark stripes.

Where it Lives

This particular orchid is only known from one place. It was first collected near Forbes in Australia. This happened before the year 1889. Since then, it has not been widely observed, making it a poorly-known species.