Green pouched orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Green pouched orchid |
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| Illustration by Lewis Roberts | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Robiquetia
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| Species: |
wassellii
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The Robiquetia wassellii, also known as the green pouched orchid, is a special type of orchid. It grows on other plants or rocks, not in the soil. This orchid has thick roots and a stem that hangs down. It has dark green leaves and many small, dark green flowers. These flowers often have pink or red centers and a white or yellowish lip. You can find this orchid growing on trees and rocks in the rainforests of tropical North Queensland, Australia.
What it Looks Like
The green pouched orchid is a plant that grows in small groups. It has strong, thick roots and a stem that hangs down, usually about 10 to 50 centimeters (4 to 20 inches) long. It has three to six dark green leaves. Each leaf is about 8 to 14 centimeters (3 to 5.5 inches) long and about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) wide.
This orchid produces many cup-shaped flowers that are dark green. They have a pink to red center. Each flower is about 12 to 14 millimeters (0.5 inches) long and 4 to 6 millimeters (0.2 inches) wide. These flowers grow close together on a stem that also hangs down, about 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches) long.
The flower has parts called sepals and petals. The sepals are blunt and shaped like a narrow egg. They are about 5 to 6 millimeters long. The petals are about 5.5 millimeters long. The labellum, or lip, is white to yellowish. It's shaped like a small basin with a beak-like tip. It also has a spur, which is a hollow part, about 12 millimeters (0.5 inches) long. This orchid usually blooms from June to August.
How it Got its Name
The Robiquetia wassellii was officially described in 1967 by a scientist named Alick Dockrill. He wrote about it in a book called Australasian Sarcahthinae. The plant he studied was found by Joseph Leathom Hole Wassell. The name wassellii was chosen to honor Mr. Wassell, who collected the first sample of this orchid.
Where it Lives
The green pouched orchid grows on trees and large rocks. It prefers the very wet rainforests in the Iron and McIlwraith Ranges in Queensland, Australia.
