Eriochilus petricola facts for kids

Eriochilus petricola is a special kind of plant. It belongs to the orchid family, which is known for its beautiful flowers. This plant is found only in New South Wales, Australia. It's a thin orchid that grows in the ground. It has one leaf and usually small, light-colored flowers. You can often find it growing close to rocky areas.

What Does Eriochilus petricola Look Like?

Eriochilus petricola is a plant that grows from an underground part called a tuber. It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so its leaves fall off at certain times of the year.

• Leaf: It has a single leaf that is dark green. The leaf is shaped like an egg or is almost round. It's about 8 to 16 millimeters (0.3 to 0.6 inches) long. It's also about 7 to 12 millimeters (0.3 to 0.5 inches) wide. You can see its veins clearly, and the top surface is often a bit hairy.
• Flowers: This orchid can have up to three flowers. They are white or light pink. These flowers grow on a thin stem that can be up to 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) tall.
  • Sepals: The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, is 5 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. The side parts, called lateral sepals, are longer and thinner. They are 9 to 12 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) long.
  • Petals: The petals are about 5 to 7 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long.
  • Labellum: The labellum is a special lip-like part of the orchid flower. It's 5 to 6.5 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. It's a bit thick and has red, brush-like hairs.
• Flowering Time: You can see these orchids bloom from March to May.

How Was Eriochilus petricola Named?

This orchid was officially named Eriochilus petricola in 2004. Two botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements, described it. Their description was published in a magazine called The Orchadian.

The second part of its name, petricola, tells us something important about where it lives. It comes from two Ancient Greek words:

• petra means "rock" or "rocky ledge."
• -cola means "dweller" or "someone who lives there."

So, petricola means "rock dweller," which makes sense because this orchid likes to grow near rocks!

Where Does Eriochilus petricola Live?

This special orchid grows in shallow, sandy soil. You can find it on or near rock ledges. Its home stretches across a part of New South Wales. This area goes from Nowra up to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. It also reaches inland to the Blue Mountains.