Common bunny orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Common bunny orchid |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Diurideae |
| Genus: | Eriochilus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
E. d. subsp. multiflorus
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| Trinomial name | |
| Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. multiflorus (Lindl.) Hopper & A.P.Br.
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| Synonyms | |
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Eriochilus multiflorus Lindl. |
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The common bunny orchid (scientific name: Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. multiflorus) is a special type of orchid plant. It belongs to the Orchidaceae family. This orchid is found only in Western Australia. This means it is endemic to that area.
It has one short, smooth, and flat leaf that looks like an egg. The plant can grow up to twenty flowers. These flowers are usually dull green, red, and white. They often grow very close together. You can find this orchid growing in forests and woodlands. It lives in the area between the cities of Perth and Albany.
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What Does It Look Like?
The common bunny orchid is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It is also a deciduous herb. This means it loses its leaves at certain times of the year. It has a special underground part called a tuber. This tuber helps it store food.
It grows a single, smooth, flat, egg-shaped leaf. This leaf is about 10 to 40 millimeters (0.4 to 1.6 inches) long. It is also about 5 to 11 millimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide. The leaf sits on a stalk that can be up to 100 millimeters (4 inches) tall. Sometimes, the leaf is not fully grown when the plant is flowering. When the plant is not flowering, its leaf can grow much larger.
The Flowers
This orchid can have up to twenty flowers. Each flower is about 10 to 15 millimeters (0.4 to 0.6 inches) long. They are also about 10 to 12 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) wide. These flowers grow on a stem that can be 250 to 450 millimeters (10 to 18 inches) tall.
The flowers are mostly greenish with some reddish marks. But the side parts, called sepals, are white. These flowers are often packed closely together on the stem. The top sepal is shaped like an egg or a spatula. It is about 8 to 10 millimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) long. It is about 3 millimeters (0.1 inches) wide. The side sepals are longer, about 10 to 17 millimeters (0.4 to 0.7 inches) long. They are about 2 to 4 millimeters (0.08 to 0.16 inches) wide.
The petals are 6 to 9 millimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) long. They are about 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. These petals usually turn towards the top sepal. The special lower petal, called the labellum, is greenish or cream-colored. It has red spots. The labellum is about 8 to 10 millimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) long. It is about 2.5 to 4.5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) wide. It has three parts, called lobes. It also has many red and white bristles.
This orchid usually flowers from March to June. If there was a bushfire the summer before, it helps the orchid flower even more!
How It Got Its Name
The common bunny orchid was first officially described in 1840. A scientist named John Lindley gave it the name Eriochilus multiflorus. He wrote about it in his book, A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.
Later, in 2006, two other scientists, Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown, changed its status. They decided it was a subspecies. So, its full scientific name became Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. multiflorus. The word multiflorus comes from Latin. It means "many-flowered," which describes the orchid well!
Where Does It Live?
The common bunny orchid is found in many places. It is quite common in the woodlands and forests of Western Australia. You can find it growing between the cities of Perth and Albany.
Is It Protected?
The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife checks on plants. They have said that Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. multiflorus is "not threatened." This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
