Lesser fingers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lesser fingers |
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| Caladenia mentiens growing near Meredith, Victoria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Caladenia
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| Species: |
mentiens
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| Synonyms | |
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Petalochilus mentiens (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
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Caladenia mentiens, commonly known as lesser fingers, is a unique type of orchid that grows only in south-eastern Australia. These orchids usually grow by themselves or in small, spread-out groups. Each plant has one long, thin leaf with a few hairs. It produces a single flower that is usually whitish or pinkish, with a darker color on the back. The special lip-like part of the flower, called the labellum, is cream-colored.
What Does the Lesser Fingers Orchid Look Like?
The lesser fingers orchid is a terrestrial plant, meaning it grows in the ground. It's also a perennial herb, which means it lives for more than two years and has soft stems, not woody ones. It's deciduous, so its leaves might fall off at certain times. This orchid has an underground tuber, which is like a small, swollen stem that stores food.
Each plant has one dark green, long, thin leaf. This leaf can be anywhere from 30–900 mm (1–40 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. It has only a few hairs.
A single flower grows on a stalk that is 40–160 mm (2–6 in) tall. The flower itself is usually whitish or pinkish. It measures 7–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 10–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide. The back of the flower's sepals and petals are a darker pink color.
- The dorsal sepal (the one at the top) stands straight up. It is 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 2.5 mm (0.1 in) wide.
- The lateral sepals (the two on the sides) are about the same length but a bit wider.
- The petals are also 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 2.5 mm (0.1 in) wide.
- Both the lateral sepals and petals usually stick out almost horizontally.
The labellum (the orchid's special lip) is 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and wide. It's cream-colored with red lines across it and a yellowish tip. The sides of the labellum have a few short teeth near the tip. In the middle of the labellum, there are two short rows of yellow bumps called calli, which have red stalks.
These orchids usually bloom from October to November. The flowers are self-pollinating, meaning they can pollinate themselves. They only stay open for a short time, and sometimes they don't open at all!
How Did It Get Its Name?
The Caladenia mentiens orchid was first officially described in 1998. David Jones, a botanist, wrote about it after finding a specimen in the Carr Villa Flora Reserve in Launceston. His description was published in a scientific journal called Australian Orchid Research.
The second part of its scientific name, mentiens, comes from a Latin word. This Latin word means "counterfeiting" or "imitating." This name was chosen because the lesser fingers orchid looks very similar to two other orchid species: C. minor and C. pusilla. It's like it's "imitating" them!
Where Does It Grow?
Lesser fingers orchids can be found in several parts of Australia. They grow in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and also on King Island and Flinders Island.
In Tasmania, you can find them in thick forests near the coast. In Victoria, they grow in both forests and areas with low-growing shrubs called heathland. This orchid is not very well known across the places it grows. It's quite small and easy to miss, so it might actually be more widespread than we currently know.
