Glandular midge orchid facts for kids

The glandular midge orchid (scientific name: Genoplesium filiforme) is a tiny orchid that grows only on the east coast of Australia. This means it is endemic to that area. It has one thin leaf. Its flowers are usually greenish to purple. They also have a special reddish-purple part called a labellum. The edges of its flower parts are covered with many short, sticky hairs. You can find this orchid from southern Queensland down to southern New South Wales.

What Does the Glandular Midge Orchid Look Like?

The glandular midge orchid is a plant that grows from an underground tuber. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It is also deciduous, so it loses its leaves at certain times. This plant has one thin leaf that is about 150 to 300 mm (6 to 12 inches) long. The top part of the leaf, which is free from the stem, is about 10 to 20 mm (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long.

This orchid grows between five and thirty flowers on a flowering stem. The stem can be 10 to 45 mm (0.4 to 1.8 inches) tall. Each flower is about 6.5 mm (0.26 inches) long and 5 mm (0.2 inches) wide. Like other orchids in its group, its flowers are upside down. This means the labellum is above the column, not below it.

The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, is egg-shaped. It is 3.5 to 4.5 mm (0.14 to 0.18 inches) long and about 2 mm (0.08 inches) wide. It has a pointed tip and short hairs on its edges. The side sepals are long and narrow, 4 to 6 mm (0.16 to 0.24 inches) long and about 1 mm (0.04 inches) wide. They spread out widely from each other.

The petals are narrow and egg-shaped. They are about 3 mm (0.12 inches) long and 1 mm (0.04 inches) wide. They also have hairs on their edges. The labellum is egg-shaped, narrower at its base. It is 3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 inches) long and about 2 mm (0.08 inches) wide. It has short hairs on its edges. In the middle of the labellum, there is a raised part called a callus. This callus is oblong and covers about three-quarters of the labellum's length. This orchid usually flowers between February and May.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The glandular midge orchid was first officially described in 1885. A botanist named Robert D. FitzGerald gave it the name Prasophyllum filiforme. He published this description in a scientific journal called Journal of Botany, British and Foreign.

Later, in 1989, two other botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements, changed its name to Genoplesium filiforme. They tried to change the name again in 2002 to Corunastylis filiformis. However, this last name change has not been accepted by the main list of plant families, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.

The National Herbarium of New South Wales lists Prasophyllum nublingii as another name for G. filiforme. These different names are called synonyms.

Where Does It Live?

The Genoplesium filiforme orchid grows in forests, heathlands, and mossy areas. It prefers places with sandstone rocks near the coast. You can find it in Australia between Nowra in New South Wales and Helidon in Queensland.