Fairy bells facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fairy bells |
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| Sarcochilus ceciliae in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park | |
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Sarcochilus
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| Species: |
ceciliae
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Fairy bells (scientific name: Sarcochilus ceciliae) is a special type of orchid. It grows on rocks, which means it's a lithophyte. This beautiful plant is found only in eastern Australia, making it endemic to that area.
Fairy bells plants have up to ten long, narrow leaves that often have spots. They can also grow up to twenty pink flowers. Each flower has a fuzzy part called a labellum.
Contents
What Does Fairy Bells Look Like?
Fairy bells is a herb that grows in small groups on rocks. Its stem stands upright and can be about 3 to 12 centimeters (1 to 5 inches) long.
Leaves and Flowers
Each plant usually has between four and ten leaves. These leaves are long and thin, measuring about 4 to 12 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) long. They are also about 3 to 8 millimeters (0.1 to 0.3 inches) wide and often have spots.
The plant produces between three and twenty cup-shaped flowers. These flowers can be light pink to bright pink. They are about 4 to 8 millimeters (0.1 to 0.3 inches) long and wide. The flowers grow on a special stem that can be 7 to 20 centimeters (3 to 8 inches) long.
Flower Parts
Each flower has different parts:
- The top sepal (a leaf-like part) is about 4 to 6 millimeters (0.16 to 0.24 inches) long.
- The side sepals are about the same length or a bit longer.
- The petals are about 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.20 inches) long.
- The labellum is a thick, fleshy part of the flower. It is about 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) long and has three sections, called lobes. The side lobes stand up and are hairy. The middle lobe is short, thick, and very fuzzy.
Fairy bells usually blooms between October and March.
How Fairy Bells Got Its Name
The scientific name Sarcochilus ceciliae was first officially described in 1865. This was done by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He published his description in a book called Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae.
The plant was found near Cleveland Bay by Edward Bowman. The second part of its name, ceciliae, was chosen to honor Cecilia Viennot van Maseyk.
Where Fairy Bells Lives
Fairy bells mostly grows on rocks and cliff faces. It prefers places that are humid, meaning they have a lot of moisture in the air.
You can find this orchid in Australia, from the Atherton Tableland in Queensland all the way down to the Hastings River area in New South Wales.
