Mount Finnigan pencil orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Finnigan pencil orchid |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Dendrobieae |
| Genus: | Dendrobium |
| Species: |
D. brevicaudum
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| Binomial name | |
| Dendrobium brevicaudum D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
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| Synonyms | |
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The Mount Finnigan pencil orchid (scientific name: Dendrobium brevicaudum) is a special type of orchid. It can grow on trees or on rocks. This orchid is found only in Queensland, Australia.
It has long, hanging stems and leaves that look like pencils. Its flowers are usually yellowish or orange-brown with cool red stripes. They also have a white "lip" part called a labellum. This rare orchid lives in only two mountain areas north of Cairns.
What Does It Look Like?
The Mount Finnigan pencil orchid is a plant that hangs down. It can grow on other plants (this is called being an epiphyte) or on rocks (this is called being a lithophyte).
Its stems are dark green to yellowish. They are about 3 to 4 millimeters (0.12 to 0.16 inches) wide. These stems can grow up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) long!
The leaves are dark green and shaped like cylinders, just like pencils. They can be quite long, from 150 to 600 millimeters (5.9 to 23.6 inches) long. They are about 3.5 to 5 millimeters (0.14 to 0.20 inches) wide.
The Flowers
Each flowering stem usually has five to eight flowers. These stems are about 40 to 60 millimeters (1.6 to 2.4 inches) long.
The flowers themselves are yellowish, brownish, or orange-brown. They are about 35 to 45 millimeters (1.4 to 1.8 inches) long and wide. You'll notice red streaks running down the middle of the flowers.
Each flower has different parts:
- The dorsal sepal (the top part) stands up. It's shaped like an egg and is about 17 to 20 millimeters (0.67 to 0.79 inches) long.
- The lateral sepals (the side parts) are curved and pointed. They are about 14 to 16 millimeters (0.55 to 0.63 inches) long.
- The petals are thin and narrow. They are about 18 to 20 millimeters (0.71 to 0.79 inches) long.
- The labellum (the "lip" of the orchid) is whitish. It's about 16 to 19 millimeters (0.63 to 0.75 inches) long. This part is covered with tiny hairs and has three main sections, called lobes. The side lobes stand up, and the middle lobe is very wavy. It has three dark red lines along its center.
This orchid usually blooms in December and January.
How It Was Named
The Mount Finnigan pencil orchid was officially described in 1994. Two botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements, gave it its scientific name, Dendrobium brevicaudum. They found a sample of it on Mount Finnigan.
The second part of its name, brevicaudum, comes from two Latin words:
- brevis means "short"
- cauda means "tail"
This name refers to the short, tail-like tip of the labellum (the orchid's lip).
Where It Lives
The Mount Finnigan pencil orchid grows on trees and granite rocks. It likes to live in rainforests and cloud forests. These are forests that are often covered in clouds or mist.
You can find this orchid at high places, usually above 700 meters (2,300 feet) in elevation. It lives on Mount Finnigan and a nearby mountain called Mount Misery. Both of these mountains are in the Ngalba Bulal National Park.
