Cupped mignonette orchid facts for kids

The Cupped mignonette orchid, also known as Microtis cupularis, is a special type of orchid. It grows only in the south-west part of Western Australia. This small plant has a single thin, hollow leaf that looks a bit like an onion. It produces up to thirty tiny, yellowish-green and red flowers. These orchids often grow in shallow water and can pollinate themselves.

What Does the Cupped Mignonette Orchid Look Like?

The Cupped mignonette orchid is a plant that grows from the ground. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It is also a deciduous herb, which means its leaves fall off at certain times of the year.

This orchid has an underground tuber, which is like a small, round storage organ. A single, smooth, hollow leaf grows straight up from the tuber. This leaf is usually between 100 and 300 millimeters (about 4 to 12 inches) long. It is about 3 millimeters (0.1 inches) wide.

Flowers of the Orchid

The flowers grow on a stem that can be 150 to 350 millimeters (about 6 to 14 inches) tall. There are usually fifteen to thirty flowers on each stem. They are yellowish-green with reddish-maroon parts.

Each flower is about 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) long and 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) wide. These orchids can pollinate themselves, which means they don't need insects or other plants to help them make seeds.

Flower Parts

The top part of the flower is called the dorsal sepal. It is about 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inches) long and wide. The lateral sepals are on the sides and are also about 1.5 millimeters long. They curve around a special part called the labellum.

The petals are similar in size to the lateral sepals. They are partly covered by the labellum. The labellum itself is shaped like a cup and is quite fleshy. It is about 1.5 millimeters long and wide. You can see these flowers blooming from September to December.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The Cupped mignonette orchid was first officially described in 2005. Two botanists, D.L.Jones and Garry Brockman, found a specimen near Bull Creek. They first named it Hydrorchis cupularis. This description was published in a magazine called The Orchadian.

Later, in 2007, another botanist named Andrew Brown changed its name to Microtis cupularis. The second part of its scientific name, cupularis, comes from the Latin word cupula. This word means "cup," and it refers to the cup-shaped labellum of the flower.

Where Does This Orchid Live?

The Cupped mignonette orchid grows in places that get wet during certain times of the year. You can often find it in shallow pools or where water flows off large granite rocks. It can even grow in several centimeters of water.

This orchid is found in a wide area of Western Australia. Its range stretches from near Perth all the way to just east of Esperance.

Is the Cupped Mignonette Orchid Safe?

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps track of plants and animals. They have classified Microtis cupularis as "not threatened." This means that there are enough of these orchids in the wild, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.