White lace orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White lace orchid |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Phreatia
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| Species: |
paleata
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The white lace orchid (scientific name: Phreatia paleata) is a beautiful plant that belongs to the orchid family. This special orchid is an epiphyte, which means it grows on other plants, like trees, but it doesn't harm them. It has roundish, swollen stems called pseudobulbs, and each one has one or two tough, leathery leaves. Many small, white flowers grow on a stem that hangs downwards. You can find this orchid growing naturally in places from Sulawesi to the southwest Pacific.
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What Does the White Lace Orchid Look Like?
The white lace orchid is an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants, usually trees, without taking their food. It has a very short stem that grows along the surface, called a rhizome, and thin roots that look like threads. The plant also has round or slightly oval pseudobulbs, which are like storage organs. These pseudobulbs are about 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long and 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) wide.
Each pseudobulb usually has one or two leaves that look like straps. These leaves can be quite long, from 10–250 mm (0.39–9.8 in) to 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) wide.
The orchid produces many small, white flowers. Each flower is about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and 3 mm (0.12 in) wide. These flowers grow along a stem that hangs down, which can be 150–350 mm (5.9–14 in) long. The flower parts, called sepals and petals, are shaped like eggs and spread out wide. The top sepal is about 2 mm (0.079 in) long, and the side sepals are a bit narrower. The petals are shorter and very thin, only about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) wide. The special lip of the flower, called the labellum, is about 2.0 mm (0.079 in) long and wide. It has bumpy edges and a pointed tip. White lace orchids usually bloom between January and April.
How the White Lace Orchid Got Its Name
The white lace orchid was first officially described in 1877 by a scientist named Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach. He first gave it the name Eria paleata in a science journal called Linnaea. In that same journal, Reichenbach suggested it could also be called Phreatia paleata. Later, in 1911, another scientist, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Kraenzlin, made the name Phreatia paleata official.
The second part of its scientific name, paleata, comes from a Latin word, palea, which means "chaff." Chaff is the dry, thin covering of grains, which might describe some part of the orchid's appearance.
Where the White Lace Orchid Lives
The Phreatia paleata orchid usually grows on trees in rainforests. You can find it in many different places across the Pacific. These include Sulawesi, the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Norfolk Island, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, and Vanuatu. It likes the warm, humid conditions found in these rainforest environments.
Protecting the White Lace Orchid
On Norfolk Island, the white lace orchid is considered an "endangered" species. This means it is at a high risk of disappearing forever. The Australian Government protects it under a law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
There are two main reasons why this orchid is in danger:
- Small Population: There aren't many of these orchids left, which makes them more vulnerable.
- Habitat Changes: The way water flows in the forest where it grows is changing. This can harm the orchid's environment and make it harder for it to survive.
Efforts are being made to protect this unique orchid and ensure it continues to thrive in its natural habitat.
