Long-tailed donkey orchid facts for kids

The Diuris tricolor, often called the long-tailed donkey orchid or pine donkey orchid, is a unique type of orchid. It grows naturally mostly in New South Wales, Australia. A single plant was also found in Victoria. This orchid has up to three leaves that look like grass. It also has up to six flowers that are orange or yellow, with touches of white and purple. A cool feature of this orchid is its unusually long side parts, called lateral sepals.

What Does It Look Like?

The long-tailed donkey orchid is a tuberous plant, meaning it grows from a swollen underground stem. It's a perennial herb, so it lives for more than two years. It usually has up to three long, thin leaves. These leaves are about 200–300 mm (8–10 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide, and they are folded lengthwise.

This orchid produces between two and six flowers. The flowers are usually orange or yellow, with hints of white and purple. They are about 25–30 mm (0.98–1.2 in) wide. These flowers grow on a stem that can be 200–400 mm (8–20 in) tall.

Let's look closer at the flower parts:

• The top sepal, called the dorsal sepal, curves upwards. It's shaped like an egg and is about 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide.
• The side sepals are very narrow and long, like thin lines. They can be 20–65 mm (0.8–3 in) long but less than 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. They point downwards.
• The petals stand upright or bend backward. They are egg-shaped or oval, about 10–16 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide. They grow on a reddish-purple stalk that is 3–7 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long.
• The labellum (the orchid's "lip") is 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long and has three parts, called lobes. The middle lobe is egg-shaped, about 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and wide, and has a ridge in the middle. The side lobes are smaller, about 3–4.5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide.
• There are also two small bumps, called callus ridges, about 4 mm (0.2 in) long, near the center of the labellum.

This orchid usually blooms from September to November.

How It Got Its Name

The Diuris tricolor was first officially described in 1885 by a botanist named Robert FitzGerald. He published his description in a science journal called Journal of Botany, British and Foreign.

The name tricolor comes from two Latin words:

• tri- means "three"
• color means "hue" or "tint"

So, tricolor means "three colors," which makes sense for an orchid with orange, yellow, white, and purplish tints!

Another botanist, Herman Rupp, described a similar orchid in 1940 and named it D. colemaniae. He named it after Edith Coleman. However, scientists now believe that D. colemaniae is actually the same plant as D. tricolor. When two different names are given to the same species, the older name is usually kept, and the newer one becomes a synonym.

Where Does It Live?

The long-tailed donkey orchid grows in grasslands and forests in New South Wales. You can find it scattered in places south of Deepwater. It also grows in the Australian Capital Territory. As mentioned, one plant has even been found just south of the border in Victoria.

Is It in Danger?

Yes, the Diuris tricolor is considered "vulnerable" in New South Wales. This means it's a species that could become endangered if its situation doesn't improve. This classification is under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

The main things threatening this orchid are:

• Habitat alteration: This means changes to the places where it lives, often due to human activities like building or farming.
• Grazing: Animals like rabbits and goats eat the plants, which can prevent them from growing and reproducing.

Protecting its habitat and controlling grazing animals are important steps to help this unique orchid survive.