Channelled fairy orchid facts for kids

The channelled fairy orchid (Oberonia rimachila) is a special kind of plant. It belongs to the orchid family. This orchid grows in clumps and can live on other plants or on rocks. It has between five and seven leaves that look like a fan on each shoot. It also has many pinkish flowers. These flowers grow in groups of eight to ten around the flowering stem. You can only find this orchid in Queensland, Australia.

What does the Channelled Fairy Orchid look like?

The channelled fairy orchid is a plant that grows in clumps. It can live on other plants (called an epiphyte) or on rocks (called a lithophyte). It has between five and seven thick, sword-shaped leaves. These leaves are green to reddish in color. They are about 50 to 70 millimeters (2 to 2.8 inches) long and 5 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) wide. The bottom parts of the leaves overlap each other.

This orchid has many small, pinkish or see-through flowers. Each flower is about 1.6 millimeters (0.06 inches) long and 1.4 millimeters (0.05 inches) wide. They grow in groups of eight to ten around a stem. This stem can be 50 to 140 millimeters (2 to 5.5 inches) long. The flowers are "non-resupinate," which means they do not twist upside down like many other orchid flowers.

The small outer parts of the flower, called sepals and petals, are shaped like an egg. They are about 0.8 millimeters (0.03 inches) long and 0.6 millimeters (0.02 inches) wide. The special lower petal, called the labellum, is about 1.0 millimeter (0.04 inches) long and wide. It has three parts, or lobes. This orchid usually blooms between February and June.

How did the Channelled Fairy Orchid get its name?

The channelled fairy orchid, Oberonia rimachila, 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 specimen used to describe the species was found at Mount Tozer. This area is in the Iron Range National Park.

The second part of its scientific name, rimachila, comes from two old words. Rima is a Latin word meaning "cleft" or "fissure" (a narrow opening). Cheilos is an Ancient Greek word meaning "lip" or "rim". These words describe the shape of a small pit on the orchid's labellum.

Where does the Channelled Fairy Orchid live?

The channelled fairy orchid usually grows on trees and rocks. It likes to live in warm, wet places like rainforests. Sometimes, you can also find it in other humid, protected areas. These include mangrove swamps and coastal scrubland. This orchid is found in Queensland, Australia. It grows in an area between the Iron Range and Palmerston.