Acianthus caudatus
| Mayfly orchid | |
|---|---|
| |
| Acianthus caudatus growing in the Budy Bim National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Diurideae |
| Subtribe: | Acianthinae |
| Genus: | Acianthus |
| Species: | A. caudatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Acianthus caudatus | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Acianthus caudatus, commonly known as mayfly orchid,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a terrestrial herb with a single egg-shaped or heart-shaped leaf and up to nine dark purplish flowers with thin, spreading sepals and petals, often with a musty odour.
Description[edit]
Acianthus caudatus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial herb with a single thin, egg-shaped to heart-shaped leaf which is dark green on the upper surface and reddish-purple on its lower surface. The leaf is 8–30 mm (0.3–1 in) long, 6–20 mm (0.2–0.8 in) wide and has wavy or minutely toothed edges. There are up to nine dark purplish flowers on a raceme 50–250 mm (2–10 in) high, each flower 30–40 mm (1–2 in) long. The dorsal sepal is erect, expanded near its base, 15–25 mm (0.6–1 in) long and tapers to a fine point. The lateral sepals are a similar shape but shorter, 15–25 mm (0.6–1 in) long and spread apart from each other. The petals are narrow lance-shaped, 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, curved and spread apart from each other. The labellum is egg-shaped to wedge-shaped, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide with the tip turned downwards. Flowering occurs from August to October.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming[edit]
Acianthus caudatus was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[5][6] The specific epithet (caudatus) is derived from the Latin word cauda meaning "tail".[7]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Mayfly orchid grows among low shrubs in open forest south of the Manning River in New South Wales, through Victoria to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It is also found in Tasmania.[3][4][8][9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Acianthus caudatus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b Copeland, Lachlan M.; Backhouse, Gary N. (2022). Guide to Native Orchids of NSW and ACT. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 13–14. ISBN 9781486313686.
- ^ a b Jones, David L. "Acianthus caudatus". Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney:plantnet. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ a b Jeanes, Jeff. "Acianthus caudatus". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ "Acianthus caudatus". APNI. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae. London. p. 321. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 779.
- ^ "Acianthus caudatus". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ Jordan, Greg. "Acianthus". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
External links[edit]
Media related to Acianthus caudatus at Wikimedia Commons
