Beautiful mignonette orchid facts for kids

The beautiful mignonette orchid (also called the beautiful onion orchid) is a special type of orchid. It only grows in the south-west part of Western Australia. This orchid has a single leaf that looks a bit like a hollow onion. It can grow up to 25 white, delicate flowers that smell a little sweet. Interestingly, it usually only blooms after a bushfire, and sometimes it just grows small, thin leaves if there hasn't been a fire.

Quick facts for kids Beautiful mignonette orchid
Conservation status
Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Tribe:	Diurideae
Genus:	Microtis
Species:	M. pulchella
Binomial name
Microtis pulchella R.Br.
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Synonyms
Microtis gymnadenioides Diels

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What Does It Look Like?

The beautiful mignonette orchid is a plant that grows from an underground tuber (like a small potato). It has one smooth, hollow leaf that stands straight up. This leaf can be about 6 to 25 centimeters (2.4 to 9.8 inches) long and 3 to 8 millimeters (0.1 to 0.3 inches) wide.

The plant produces a flowering stem that can be 7 to 14 centimeters (2.8 to 5.5 inches) long. The whole plant can reach a height of 15 to 30 centimeters (5.9 to 11.8 inches). On this stem, you'll find between five and twenty-five delicate, white flowers. Each flower is about 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.20 inches) long and wide. They have a light scent and tend to droop as they get older.

The parts of the flower include:

• The dorsal sepal (the top part) is egg-shaped, about 2.5 to 3 millimeters (0.10 to 0.12 inches) long.
• The lateral sepals (the side parts) are shaped like a spear or egg, about 2 to 2.5 millimeters (0.08 to 0.10 inches) long. They spread out to the sides.
• The petals are spear-shaped, about 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) long and 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) wide. They are curved.
• The labellum (the special lower petal) is mostly oval, about 3 to 3.5 millimeters (0.12 to 0.14 inches) long. Its edges can be slightly wavy or toothed. In the middle of the labellum, there are two raised, dark green bumps called calli.

These orchids usually bloom between November and January. However, they only flower if there was a bushfire in the area during the previous summer. If there hasn't been a fire, the plants might just grow a thin, thread-like leaf that is 1 to 2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long.

Where Does It Grow?

The beautiful mignonette orchid likes to grow in wet, peaty swamps. You can often find large groups of these orchids growing together between the towns of Albany and Augusta in Western Australia.

Protecting This Orchid

The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has listed Microtis pulchella as "Priority Four". This means it is considered rare or close to being threatened, and efforts are being made to protect it.