Blackall Range midge orchid facts for kids

The Blackall Range midge orchid (scientific name: Genoplesium cranei) is a tiny orchid that grows only in the Blackall Range in Queensland, Australia. It's called a "midge orchid" because its flowers are very small, like midges! This special plant has a single thin leaf that is joined to its flower stem. It can have up to twenty small flowers. These flowers are usually green or greenish-yellow with some reddish marks. You can find this orchid growing in open forests where there are also shrubs and grasses.

What Does the Blackall Range Midge Orchid Look Like?

The Blackall Range midge orchid is a plant that grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage root. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so it loses its leaves at certain times of the year.

This orchid has one thin leaf. This leaf is about 18 to 30 centimeters (7 to 12 inches) long. It is joined to the flowering stem for most of its length. Only a small part, about 1.4 to 2 centimeters (0.5 to 0.8 inches) long, is free.

The plant produces a flower stem that is about 3 to 6 centimeters (1.2 to 2.4 inches) tall. This stem is much taller than the leaf. It can have between five and twenty flowers. The flowers are spaced out along the stem and point forward.

The flowers are small, about 4 to 4.5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.18 inches) long. They are green or greenish-yellow with reddish marks. These flowers usually stay closed or only open a tiny bit.

Orchid flowers are unique. In this orchid, the labellum (a special petal) is above the column (the central part of the flower). This is the opposite of how most orchid flowers are arranged.

• The dorsal sepal (the top part of the flower) is about 3.5 millimeters (0.14 inches) long. It has a pointed tip.
• The lateral sepals (the side parts) are about 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) long. They have a small hump at their base.
• The petals are about 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) long. They have smooth edges and a tiny white gland at their tips.
• The labellum is dark red and shaped like an egg. It is about 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) long. It bends sharply upwards in the middle. There is also a small, raised part called a callus in the center of the labellum.

This orchid usually flowers in February and March.

How Was This Orchid Named?

The scientific name Genoplesium cranei was first officially described in the year 2000. It was described by a botanist named David Jones. He found a sample of this orchid in the Mapleton State Forest, which is in the Blackall Range. His description was published in a magazine called The Orchadian.

Later, in 2002, David Jones and another botanist, Mark Clements, decided to change the orchid's name to Corunastylis cranei.

The second part of the name, cranei, is called the specific epithet. It was chosen to honor the person who collected the first sample of this orchid. This first sample is known as the type specimen.

Where Does the Blackall Range Midge Orchid Live?

The Blackall Range midge orchid grows in open forests. It prefers shallow, stony soil. You can find it growing alongside shrubs and grasses in its home, the Blackall Range.