Common wasp orchid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Chiloglottis
Species:
C. diphylla
Binomial name
Chiloglottis diphylla
Synonyms[1]

Chiloglottis diphylla, commonly known as the common wasp orchid,[2] is a species of orchid endemic to Australia. It has two broad leaves and a single narrow, greenish brown to reddish flower with a black, insect-like callus covering the upper surface of the labellum.

Chiloglottis diphylla - 1810 illustration by Ferdinand Bauer

Description

Chiloglottis diphylla is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with two leaves 30–60 mm (1–2 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide. A single greenish brown to reddish flower 30–45 mm (1–2 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide is borne on a flowering stem 70–100 mm (3–4 in) high. The dorsal sepal is spatula-shaped, 12–14 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide with a glandular tip a further 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The lateral sepals are 15–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long, about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide and curve downwards. There is a glandular tip 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long on the end of each lateral sepal. The petals are oblong, 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and turned strongly downwards. The labellum is diamond-shaped, 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide with a black, insect-like callus covering most of its upper surface. Flowering occurs from February to May.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Chiloglottis diphylla was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[4][5]

Distribution and habitat

The common wasp orchid grows in moist places in shrubby forest on the coast and ranges between Carnarvon Gorge in Queensland and Batemans Bay in New South Wales.[2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Chiloglottis diphylla". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 139. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. 1 2 Jones, David L. "Chiloglottis diphylla". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "Chiloglottis diphylla". APNI. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802-1805. London. pp. 322–323. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
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