Banded butterfly orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Banded butterfly orchid |
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| Sarcochilus serrulatus in Cedar Bay National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sarcochilus
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| Species: |
serrulatus
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The banded butterfly orchid (scientific name: Sarcochilus serrulatus) is a special type of orchid. It's called an epiphyte because it grows on other plants, like trees, instead of in the ground. This beautiful orchid is only found in tropical North Queensland, Australia. It has up to six leaves that are a bit crowded, with wavy edges that look like tiny teeth. Its flowers are reddish-brown, and they have a white part called a labellum with yellow stripes, making them look a bit like butterflies!
What Does It Look Like?
The banded butterfly orchid is an epiphytic plant that grows on trees. It has a short stem, usually about 10 to 20 millimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long. From this stem grow three to six curved leaves.
These leaves are about 50 to 100 millimeters (2 to 4 inches) long and 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) wide. They are shaped like an oval or an egg. A cool thing about the leaves is their wavy edges, which have tiny teeth, like a saw.
The orchid produces between two and ten reddish-brown flowers. Each flower is about 14 to 18 millimeters (0.6 to 0.7 inches) long and 12 to 15 millimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) wide. These flowers grow on a thick, club-shaped stem that is 20 to 40 millimeters (0.8 to 1.6 inches) long.
Each flower has parts called sepals and petals. The top sepal is about 5 to 6 millimeters (0.2 inches) long and wide. The side sepals are a bit longer, about 5 to 7 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. The petals are a little shorter and narrower than the side sepals.
The most interesting part is the labellum, which is white with red and yellow marks. It's about 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) long and wide. The labellum has three parts, called lobes. The two side lobes stand up and curve inwards. The middle lobe is thick and has a small spur, about 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) long. You can usually see these orchids flowering between August and January.
How It Got Its Name
The scientific name for the banded butterfly orchid is Sarcochilus serrulatus. It was first officially described in 1972 by a botanist named David Jones. He published his description in a science magazine called The Victorian Naturalist.
The second part of its scientific name, serrulatus, comes from a Latin word. The Latin word serra means "toothed like a saw." This name was chosen because the orchid's leaves have fine, saw-like teeth along their edges.
Where It Lives
The banded butterfly orchid likes to grow on trees in thick, dense rainforests. It especially likes areas near streams. This orchid is quite rare and is only found in the Tablelands Region of north Queensland, Australia.
