Genoplesium clivicola facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Genoplesium clivicola |
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| In the Aranda Bushland | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Genoplesium
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| Species: |
clivicola
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Genoplesium clivicola, also called Corunastylis clivicola in Australia, is a tiny wild orchid. It grows only in south-eastern Australia. This special plant has a single thin leaf that is joined to its flower stem. It can have up to 25 small flowers that are greenish and reddish. You can find it growing in forests and woodlands in Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and New South Wales.
What Does It Look Like?
Genoplesium clivicola is a plant that grows from the ground. It is a perennial herb, meaning it lives for more than two years. It also loses its leaves each year. This orchid has an underground tuber, which is like a small storage root. A single thin leaf is joined to its flowering stem.
The plant can grow to be about 8 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches) tall. Its flowering stem is usually 1 to 4 centimeters (0.4 to 1.6 inches) long. Up to 25 small flowers grow along this stem. These flowers are mostly greenish with reddish or purplish marks.
Each flower is about 3 to 4 millimeters (0.12 to 0.16 inches) wide. They are unusual because they are upside down! This means the labellum (a special lip-like petal) is above the column (the part with the pollen) instead of below it.
The dorsal sepal (the top part of the flower) is egg-shaped. It is about 3.5 to 4 millimeters long and 2.5 millimeters wide. The lateral sepals (the side parts) are longer, about 4.5 to 5 millimeters long. They spread out from each other. The petals are egg-shaped too, about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long.
The labellum is also egg-shaped and about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long. It has a narrow, egg-shaped callus (a raised area) in its center. This callus almost reaches the tip of the labellum. This orchid usually flowers between January and May.
Naming This Plant
The plant was first officially described in 2007 by a botanist named David Jones. He found a sample of it in the Black Mountain Reserve. He published his description in a magazine called The Orchadian. At that time, he named it Corunastylis clivicola.
Later, in 2014, another botanist named Julian Shaw changed its name to Genoplesium clivicola.
The second part of its name, clivicola, comes from two Latin words. Clivus means "hill" or "sloping hillside." The ending -cola means "dweller" or "one who lives in a place." So, clivicola means "hill-dweller," which makes sense because of where it grows!
Where Does It Grow?
Genoplesium clivicola grows in Victoria, mainly north of the Great Dividing Range. However, there is also a separate group of these plants in the Brisbane Ranges National Park.
In New South Wales, you can find this orchid on the Central Tablelands and Southern Tablelands. This includes the Australian Capital Territory, where the city of Canberra is located.
