Robust leek orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robust leek orchid |
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The robust leek orchid (scientific name: Prasophyllum robustum) is a special type of orchid. It is found only in Tasmania, meaning it is endemic there. This plant has a single green leaf shaped like a tube. It can grow up to thirty greenish-brown flowers. Each flower has a white part called a labellum.
Sadly, this orchid is very rare. Only about fifty plants are known to exist. Their numbers have gone down a lot. This is mainly because their land has been cleared for other uses.
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What the Robust Leek Orchid Looks Like
The robust leek orchid is a plant that grows from an underground tuber. This means it has a special storage part underground. It is a perennial plant, so it lives for more than two years. It is also deciduous, which means its leaves fall off at certain times.
Each plant has one tube-shaped leaf. This leaf is green and can be 300 to 850 millimeters (about 12 to 33 inches) long. Near its base, the leaf is dark red or purple. It is about 5 to 6 millimeters (about 0.2 inches) wide.
Flowers and Their Features
The plant grows a tall flowering stem. This stem can reach a height of 400 to 1100 millimeters (about 16 to 43 inches). Along this stem, between fifteen and thirty flowers are loosely arranged. The flowers are greenish-brown to brownish.
Each flower is about 15 to 20 millimeters (about 0.6 to 0.8 inches) long and wide. Like other leek orchids, their flowers are upside down. This means the labellum (a special lip part) is above the column. Usually, it would be below.
The top part of the flower is called the dorsal sepal. It is shaped like a spear or an egg. It is about 9.5 to 11 millimeters (about 0.4 inches) long and 5 millimeters (about 0.2 inches) wide. It has about four dark brown lines. The side sepals are long and narrow. They are 10 to 12 millimeters (about 0.4 to 0.5 inches) long and 2.5 millimeters (about 0.1 inches) wide. These sepals spread far apart.
The petals are also long and narrow. They are 10 to 11 millimeters (about 0.4 inches) long and 2.5 millimeters (about 0.1 inches) wide. They are whitish with a brown line in the middle. The labellum is white and shaped like an egg or a spear. It is 11 to 13 millimeters (about 0.4 to 0.5 inches) long and 6 millimeters (about 0.2 inches) wide. This labellum sharply bends back on itself in the middle. Its edges are crinkled or wavy. There is also a raised, fleshy, green part called a callus in its center. This callus extends to the bend.
The robust leek orchid flowers during November and December.
How the Robust Leek Orchid Got Its Name
The robust leek orchid was first officially described in 1940. A botanist named William Henry Nicholls gave it the name Prasophyllum patens var. robustum. He described it from a plant found in Smithton. This description was published in a science magazine called The Victorian Naturalist.
Later, in 1998, two other botanists, Mark Clements and David Jones, changed its status. They decided it was a full species on its own. So, they gave it the name Prasophyllum robustum.
The second part of its scientific name, robustum, is a Latin word. It means "hard and strong like oak." This name likely refers to its sturdy appearance or growth.
Where the Robust Leek Orchid Lives
The Prasophyllum robustum orchid grows in forests. It is found among shrubs and grasses.
This orchid is extremely rare. It is known from only one small group of about fifty plants. Sadly, the group of plants that used to live near Smithton seems to have disappeared. Other groups of these orchids have also been lost. This happened because their land was cleared. The land was cleared mostly for farming.
Protecting the Robust Leek Orchid
The only remaining group of Prasophyllum robustum plants is on private land. The people who own this land are working to protect these special orchids.
However, there are still some dangers to the robust leek orchid. These dangers include:
- More land clearing, which destroys their homes.
- Grazing by animals like horses, which can eat or trample the plants.
- Fires that happen at the wrong time or are too intense. These fires can harm the orchids.
Protecting this rare orchid is very important. It helps keep the natural world in Tasmania healthy and diverse.
