Hook-leaf facts for kids

The hook-leaf (Mobilabium hamatum) is a special kind of orchid. It is the only species in its group, called the Mobilabium genus. This plant belongs to the large orchid family, known as Orchidaceae.

Hook-leaf orchids are epiphytic. This means they grow on other plants, like trees, but they don't harm them. They have stiff, long leaves, usually between three and twelve of them. A cool thing about their leaves is that they have a hooked tip, which is why they are called "hook-leaf."

The plant produces up to fifteen star-shaped flowers. These flowers can be cream-coloured, pale green, or brownish. They often have pretty red or purple marks. The flower's labellum (which is like a special lip) has three parts. The middle part is hollow and holds sticky nectar, which helps attract insects. You can mostly find hook-leaf orchids growing on trees in rainforests at high places in tropical North Queensland.

What the Hook-Leaf Orchid Looks Like

The Mobilabium hamatum is an epiphytic herb. This means it's a plant that grows on other plants and has soft, green stems, not woody ones. It has many strong roots. Its stems can grow upright or hang down, reaching between 100 and 600 mm (4 to 24 in) long.

Each stem has about three to fifteen stiff, yellowish-green leaves. These leaves are usually 30 to 70 mm (1.2 to 2.8 in) long and 4 to 6 mm (0.16 to 0.24 in) wide. Just like its name, each leaf has a hooked tip.

The hook-leaf orchid produces five to fifteen flowers on flowering stems that are 30 to 60 mm (1.2 to 2.4 in) long. The flowers are cream-coloured, pale green, or brownish. They often have brownish or purplish marks and are about 6 to 7 mm (0.24 to 0.28 in) long and wide.

The flower's sepals and petals spread out wide. The sepals are about 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.059 in) wide. The petals are a little bit shorter and narrower. There's a special hinge between the flower's column and its labellum (lip). The labellum has three parts, and the middle part is round and hollow. This hollow part holds sticky nectar. Hook-leaf orchids usually bloom from July to August.

Naming the Hook-Leaf Orchid

The hook-leaf orchid, Mobilabium hamatum, was first officially described in 1946. A scientist named Herman Rupp wrote about it in a publication called The North Queensland Naturalist.

The first plant used to describe the species (called the type specimen) was sent to Rupp by Thomas Edgar Hunt. Hunt called it "hookey leaf." His brother, R. Hunt, was the one who found and collected the plant.

The name Mobilabium comes from two Latin words: mobilis, which means "mobile" or "moving," and labium, which means "lip." This refers to the orchid's special lip (labellum) that can move. The second part of the name, hamatum, is also a Latin word. It means "with hooks" or "hooked," which perfectly describes the plant's unique hooked leaf tips.

Where the Hook-Leaf Orchid Lives

Hook-leaf orchids mostly grow on trees in rainforests. Sometimes, you can find them on single trees in open fields or on other plants near streams. They grow at high altitudes, usually between 600 and 1300 m (2,000 and 4,300 ft) above sea level. You can find this orchid in northern Queensland, Australia. Its range stretches from the Cedar Bay National Park all the way to Townsville.