Pink shepherds' crook facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pink shepherds' crook |
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| Illustration of Geodorum terrestre from Curtis's Botanical Magazine | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Geodorum
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| Species: |
terrestre
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| Synonyms | |
The Geodorum terrestre, often called the pink shepherds' crook or bent orchid, is a beautiful plant. It belongs to the amazing orchid family. You can find this orchid growing naturally in warm, tropical parts of Asia and northern Australia.
This orchid grows on the ground, not on trees. It has wide, pleated leaves. Its flowers are a pretty pale pink with dark red lines on a special part called the labellum. The pink shepherds' crook loves wet places, even swamps!
What Does It Look Like?
The pink shepherds' crook is a leafy plant that grows on the ground. It has roundish parts called pseudobulbs that are about 30 to 50 millimeters (1.2 to 2.0 inches) long and 20 to 30 millimeters (0.8 to 1.2 inches) wide. These pseudobulbs often look a bit yellowish.
Its leaves are smooth and pleated, like a fan. They can be 250 to 350 millimeters (9.8 to 13.8 inches) long and 60 to 80 millimeters (2.4 to 3.1 inches) wide.
The plant grows a flowering stem that is 200 to 300 millimeters (7.9 to 11.8 inches) long. On this stem, you'll find between eight and twenty pale pink flowers. Each flower is about 18 to 20 millimeters (0.7 to 0.8 inches) wide.
Flower Details
When the flowers first open, the stem bends downwards, making it look like a shepherd's crook. But as the flowers start to wilt, the stem stands up straight again!
The flower has parts called sepals that are 12 to 15 millimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long and about 4 millimeters (0.2 inches) wide. The side sepals are shaped like little boats. The petals are 13 to 16 millimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long and 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.20 inches) wide.
The labellum is the most colorful part. It's pink with dark red lines, about 13 to 15 millimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long and 10 to 12 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) wide. Its sides curve upwards.
In Australia, these orchids usually bloom between December and February. In Asia, they flower from March to May, or sometimes in October and November.
How It Got Its Name
The pink shepherds' crook was first described way back in 1759 by a famous scientist named Carl Linnaeus. He gave it the name Epidendrum terrestre. He wrote about it in his book, 10th edition of Systema Naturae. His description was based on a drawing from another old book called Herbarium amboinense.
Later, in 1994, another scientist, Paul Abel Ormerod, tried to change its name to Phaius terrestris. But Leslie Andrew Garay thought this was a mistake. He believed it was better to stick with the original drawing from the Herbarium Amboinense. So, in 1997, Garay officially changed the name to Geodorum terrestre.
The second part of its name, terrestre, is a Latin word. It means "of the earth." This name makes sense because this orchid grows on the ground, not on trees or other plants.
Where Does It Grow?
The Geodorum terrestre orchid can be found in many places, from Nepal all the way down to northern Australia.
It loves to grow in moist forests, including rainforests. You can often spot it in river gullies or close to waterfalls.
In Australia, it grows in the Kimberley area of Western Australia. It's also found in the northern parts of the Northern Territory. On the eastern side of Australia, you can see it from Cape York down to the Macleay River in New South Wales.
