Green truffle orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Green truffle orchid |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Arthrochilus
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| Species: |
dockrillii
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The green truffle orchid, also known as Arthrochilus dockrillii, is a special type of flowering plant. It belongs to the amazing orchid family. This orchid is found only in Tropical North Queensland, Australia. It has one or two dark green leaves near its base. It can grow up to twenty-five greenish flowers that look a bit like insects. These flowers have tiny red dots called glands on their special lower petal, called a labellum. Some scientists also call this orchid Phoringopsis dockrillii. There's even one record of it being found in Papua New Guinea.
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What the Green Truffle Orchid Looks Like
The green truffle 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 during certain times of the year. This orchid has an underground part called a tuber. This tuber can grow new "daughter" tubers on root-like parts called stolons.
The plant usually has one or two dark green leaves. One leaf is often bigger than the other. Each leaf can be about 60 to 200 mm (2.4 to 7.9 in) long. They are also about 6 to 10 mm (0.24 to 0.39 in) wide.
The green truffle orchid grows a tall stem, about 150 to 300 mm (5.9 to 11.8 in) high. Along this stem, it has between five and twenty-five greenish, insect-like flowers. Each flower is about 10 to 12 mm (0.39 to 0.47 in) long.
Flower Parts
The top petal, called the dorsal sepal, is shaped like a spoon. It's about 5 to 6 mm (0.20 to 0.24 in) long and 2 mm (0.079 in) wide. The side petals, called lateral sepals, are thin and straight. They are about 5.5 to 6.5 mm (0.22 to 0.26 in) long and 2 mm (0.079 in) wide.
The other petals are also narrow and straight. They are about 5 to 6 mm (0.20 to 0.24 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.059 in) wide. These petals and the lateral sepals bend backward. This makes them hard to see against the ovary of the flower.
The most interesting part is the labellum, which is the orchid's special lower lip. It's about 5.5 mm (0.22 in) long and 2.5 mm (0.098 in) wide. The labellum has a raised part called a callus. This callus is about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long. It's covered with a few spiky, hair-like glands. The very tip of the labellum is about 3 mm (0.12 in) long.
These orchids usually bloom from January to August.
How the Green Truffle Orchid Got Its Name
The green truffle orchid was first officially described in 1975. A scientist named Bill Lavarack gave it its scientific name, Arthrochilus dockrillii. He studied a plant he found near Innisfail, a town in Queensland. The description was then published in a scientific book called Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland.
Later, in 2002, two other scientists, David Jones and Mark Clements, suggested a new name for this orchid: Phoringopsis dockrillii. However, not all scientists have agreed to use this new name. This is why you might see the green truffle orchid called by two different scientific names.
Where the Green Truffle Orchid Lives
The green truffle orchid grows in forests and scrubland near the coast. You can find it between Hopevale and Bramston Beach in Queensland, Australia. There's also a separate group of these orchids living near Kuranda. This is called a disjunct population because it's far away from the main group. As mentioned before, there's also one record of this orchid being found in Papua New Guinea.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Just like other Arthrochilus orchids, the green truffle orchid has a special way of getting pollinated. It relies on male thynnid wasps from a group called Arthrothynnus. The orchid's flower looks and smells like a female wasp, which tricks the male wasp into trying to mate with it. As the wasp tries to mate, it accidentally picks up pollen from the orchid and carries it to another flower, helping the orchid make seeds. We don't know the exact species of wasp that pollinates this particular orchid yet.
Besides making seeds, the green truffle orchid can also make new plants in another way. It reproduces without needing seeds, by growing new tubers underground. This is called asexual reproduction, and it helps the orchid spread and grow in its habitat.
