Eungella moon orchid facts for kids

The Eungella moon orchid, also called the small moon orchid, is a special type of orchid. It's an epiphytic plant, meaning it grows on other plants, like trees, but it doesn't hurt them. This orchid is found only in eastern Australia. It has many crowded stems with two leaves on each tip. Its flowering stems arch outwards and can have up to thirty-five waxy, yellowish, cup-shaped flowers. You can find it growing in open forests and rainforests.

What Does the Eungella Moon Orchid Look Like?

The Eungella moon orchid is a plant that grows on other plants. It forms small, thick groups. It has crowded stems that look like cones or eggs. These stems are about 15 to 40 mm (0.6 to 1.6 inches) long and 10 to 20 mm (0.4 to 0.8 inches) wide.

Each stem has two dark green leaves on top. These leaves are narrow and oblong. They are about 40 to 100 mm (1.6 to 3.9 inches) long and 8 to 13 mm (0.3 to 0.5 inches) wide.

The orchid's flowering stems are about 80 to 250 mm (3.1 to 9.8 inches) long. They hold between five and thirty-five flowers. These flowers are yellow to greenish yellow, waxy, and shaped like cups. Each flower is about 6 to 9 mm (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide.

The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, is 4 to 7 mm (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. The side sepals are 2 to 4 mm (0.08 to 0.16 inches) long. The petals are about 3 mm (0.12 inches) long.

The labellum (the orchid's special lip petal) is curved and yellow. It is 6 to 8 mm (0.24 to 0.31 inches) long and 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 inches) wide. It has three parts, or lobes. The side lobes are red and longer than the short middle lobe. The middle lobe has a fleshy part in its center. These orchids usually flower from January to April.

How Was the Eungella Moon Orchid Named?

The Eungella moon orchid was first officially described in 1886. This was done by a botanist named Frederick Manson Bailey. His description was published in a paper called Occasional Papers on the Queensland Flora.

The second part of its scientific name, schneiderae, honors "Mrs H. Schneider". She was a lady who was very good at finding and growing plants from Queensland, especially ferns and orchids.

There are two different types, or varieties, of this orchid:

• Dendrobium schneiderae var. major, named by Herman Rupp. This is the Eungella moon orchid. It has larger flowers. You can only find it near Eungella in Queensland. It grows on ironbark trees in open forests and on palm trees in rainforests.
• Dendrobium schneiderae var. schneiderae. This is the small moon orchid. It has smaller flowers. It is found between Gympie in Queensland and the Clarence River in New South Wales. It grows in bright spots within rainforests.