Purple sprites facts for kids

Purple sprites, also known by its scientific name Schistotylus purpuratus, is a unique and beautiful orchid. It is the only type of plant in its group, called the Schistotylus genus. This special plant belongs to the large orchid family, Orchidaceae.

This small orchid is an epiphyte, which means it grows on other plants like trees, but it does not harm them. It has a few leaves that are long and narrow. Its flowers are cup-shaped and pale green with pretty purple marks. The main part of the flower, called the labellum, is mostly white. You can find purple sprites growing in rainforests and wet, swampy areas in eastern Australia.

What Purple Sprites Look Like

Schistotylus purpuratus is a small plant that often grows by itself. It is a herb, meaning it has soft stems, not woody ones.

Its stems are usually about 2 to 3 centimeters (about 1 inch) long. It has between two and six leaves that are close together. These leaves are long and thin, measuring about 2 to 4 centimeters (about 1 to 1.5 inches) in length and 2 to 3 millimeters (less than a quarter of an inch) wide.

The plant produces between four and ten flowers. These flowers are cup-shaped and smell nice. They are pale green with purple spots. Each flower is about 5 to 6 millimeters (about a quarter of an inch) long and 4 to 5 millimeters wide. They grow on a thin, arching stem that is about 2.5 to 4 centimeters (about 1 to 1.5 inches) long.

The sepals, which are like small leaves protecting the flower, are about 3 millimeters long. The petals are a little shorter and narrower. The labellum is white with yellow marks. It is about 5 millimeters long and 2 millimeters wide. It has three parts, called lobes. The side lobes look a bit like a bird's beak. The middle lobe is short and thick, with a small spur about 3 millimeters long.

Purple sprites usually bloom between August and October.

How Purple Sprites Got Their Name

Purple sprites were first officially described in 1938 by a scientist named Herman Rupp. He first called it Cleisostoma gemmatum. He wrote about it in a science magazine called The Victorian Naturalist.

However, that name was not allowed because it had already been used for a different plant. This is called a nomen illegitimum, which means "illegitimate name." So, Rupp had to change the name. In a later edition of the same magazine, he changed it to Cleisostoma purpuratum.

Then, in 1941, Rupp changed the name again to Schistotylus purpuratus. The second part of the scientific name, purpuratus, comes from the Latin word purpura. This word means "a purple dye." It refers to the striking reddish-purple color found on the column of the flower. The column is a special part of the orchid flower that holds the reproductive organs.

Where Purple Sprites Live

Schistotylus purpuratus grows on shrubs and the small branches of trees. It can be found in forests, heathlands, and scrub areas.

You can find this orchid in eastern Australia. Its range stretches from Nerang in Queensland down to the Carrai National Park in New South Wales.

See also

• Schistotylus para niños (Information about Schistotylus for children in Spanish)