Large sphinx orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Large sphinx orchid |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Liparis (plant)
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| Species: |
nugentiae
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The Large sphinx orchid (its scientific name is Liparis nugentiae) is a special kind of plant that belongs to the orchid family. It grows only in Queensland, Australia. This orchid is an epiphytic or lithophytic plant, which means it often grows on other plants (like trees) or on rocks, instead of in the soil. It forms small groups of plants with flat, green or yellowish parts called pseudobulbs. It has two to four thin leaves and can have up to twenty greenish or pale yellow flowers. You can find it growing in rainforests in tropical far North Queensland, usually at high places, more than 600 metres (about 2,000 feet) above sea level.
What the Large Sphinx Orchid Looks Like
The Liparis nugentiae is a herb that grows in clumps. It has many crowded, dark green to yellowish, flat, overlapping parts called pseudobulbs. These pseudobulbs help the plant store water and nutrients.
It usually has two to four thin leaves that are dark green or yellowish. These leaves are shaped like a line or a spear, and they can be about 12 to 30 centimetres (5 to 12 inches) long and 2 to 3 centimetres (1 to 1.2 inches) wide.
The orchid produces between eight and twenty greenish or pale yellow flowers. Each flower is about 13 to 17 millimetres (0.5 to 0.7 inches) long and 8 to 11 millimetres (0.3 to 0.4 inches) wide. These flowers grow on a stem that can be straight or slightly arching, about 15 to 25 centimetres (6 to 10 inches) long.
The flowers have parts called sepals, which are like outer petals, and inner petals. The sepals are about 8 to 12 millimetres (0.3 to 0.5 inches) long and 1.5 to 2 millimetres (0.06 to 0.08 inches) wide. The petals are about the same length but thinner, only about 1 millimetre (0.04 inches) wide. Both the sepals and petals curve downwards.
A special part of the orchid flower is the labellum, which is a modified petal. For the Large sphinx orchid, the labellum is about 13 to 16 millimetres (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long and 7 to 9 millimetres (0.3 to 0.4 inches) wide. It has a channel at its base and two orange bands. This orchid usually flowers between September and January.
How the Large Sphinx Orchid Got Its Name
The Liparis nugentiae was officially described for the first time in 1896. This description was made by a botanist named Frederick Manson Bailey. He published his findings in a special book called the Department of Agriculture Queensland, Botany Bulletin.
The plant was named after L.J. Nugent, who collected the first sample of this orchid. This sample was found on a mountain range near Cairns in Queensland.
Where the Large Sphinx Orchid Lives
The Large sphinx orchid grows on trees and rocks in rainforests. These rainforests are often misty, which provides the perfect damp conditions for the orchid to thrive. This orchid is quite common and can be found in a wide area, stretching from Rossville all the way to Eungella National Park in Queensland.
