Northern green fairy orchid facts for kids

The northern green fairy orchid (scientific name: Oberonia flavescens) is a beautiful plant. It belongs to the amazing orchid family. This orchid often grows in clumps. It can be an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants like trees. It can also be a lithophyte, which means it grows on rocks. Each plant has four to six leaves that look like a fan. It also has many small, whitish or yellowish flowers. These flowers grow in circles around its stem. You can only find this special orchid in Queensland, Australia.

What Does the Northern Green Fairy Orchid Look Like?

The northern green fairy orchid is a plant that forms large clumps. It can grow on trees or rocks. Each part of the plant has four to six leaves. These leaves are thick and shaped like swords. They are green or reddish and about 80 to 150 mm (3 to 6 inches) long. Their bases overlap, making them look like a fan.

This orchid produces many small flowers. They are whitish or yellowish. Each flower is about 2.3 mm (0.09 inches) long and 1.5 mm (0.06 inches) wide. They grow in circles, with six to eight flowers in each circle. These flowers are on an arching stem that is 100 to 200 mm (4 to 8 inches) long.

The flower parts called sepals and petals are egg-shaped. They are about 1.2 mm (0.05 inches) long. They bend backward towards the part of the flower that holds the seeds. The special lower petal, called the labellum, is about 1.5 mm (0.06 inches) long. It has three parts with a fringed edge. These orchids usually bloom between February and July.

How Did This Orchid Get Its Name?

The northern green fairy orchid was first officially described in 2006. Two botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements, wrote about it. They published their description in a book called Australian Orchid Research.

The first plant used to describe this species was grown at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. It came from a plant found in the McIlwraith Range. The second part of its scientific name, flavescens, comes from Latin words. Flavus means "golden-yellow" or "yellow." The ending -escens means "beginning of" or "becoming." So, flavescens means "becoming yellow."

Where Does This Orchid Live?

The northern green fairy orchid usually grows on trees and rocks. It likes to live in rainforests. Sometimes, you can find it in other warm, damp, and sheltered places. This includes areas like mangroves. It grows in Queensland, Australia. You can find it between the Iron Range and the Clarke Range.