Mountain-top midge orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain-top midge orchid |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Genoplesium
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| Species: |
parvicallum
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The mountain-top midge-orchid (scientific name: Genoplesium parvicallum) is a special type of orchid. It's found only in Queensland, Australia, which means it's endemic there. This small orchid has up to 25 greenish flowers with purplish-brown stripes. You can only find it growing on the very tops of mountains in the McPherson Range.
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What the Mountain-top Midge-Orchid Looks Like
The mountain-top midge-orchid is a plant that grows from the ground. 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.
This orchid has a single thin leaf that grows from an underground tuber (a swollen part of the stem, like a potato). The leaf can be about 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) long. The tip of the leaf, which is free from the stem, is about 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters (0.6 to 1 inch) long.
Flowers and Their Features
The orchid produces between 15 and 25 greenish flowers. These flowers have purplish-brown stripes. They grow along a flowering stem that is about 2 to 3.5 centimeters (0.8 to 1.4 inches) long. This stem is much taller than the leaf.
Each flower is about 8 millimeters (0.3 inches) long and 7 millimeters (0.28 inches) wide. Like other orchids in its group, its flowers are upside down. This means the labellum (a special lip-like petal) is above the column (the part of the flower that holds the pollen) instead of below it.
The dorsal sepal (the top part of the flower) is about 4.5 millimeters (0.18 inches) long and 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) wide. It has a sharp, pointed tip and a few hairs on its edges. The lateral sepals (the two side parts) are about 6.5 millimeters (0.26 inches) long and 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. They have a small hump at their base and spread wide apart.
The petals (the other flower parts) are about 3.5 millimeters (0.14 inches) long and 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. They have a pointed tip and hairy edges. The labellum is about 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) long and 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) wide. It is purplish with a pointed tip and red hairs along its edges.
The labellum can shake or quiver even in a very light breeze. In the center of the labellum, there is a small, club-shaped part called a callus. This orchid blooms between December and February.
How the Mountain-top Midge-Orchid Got its Name
The mountain-top midge-orchid was first officially described in 1945. A botanist named Herman Rupp found a sample of the plant on Mount Greville. He wrote about it in a science magazine called The Queensland Naturalist.
Later, in 2002, two other botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements, changed its scientific name to Corunastylis parvicalla.
The second part of its scientific name, parvicallum, comes from the Latin word parvus. This word means "little." It refers to the small callus (the club-shaped part) found on the orchid's labellum.
Where the Mountain-top Midge-Orchid Lives
The mountain-top midge-orchid is only found on the very tops of a few mountains in the McPherson Range. It likes to grow in shallow soil that covers rock ledges. You can often find it growing among grasses and small shrubs in these areas.
