Diuris flavescens

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Pale yellow doubletail
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Diuris
Species:
D. flavescens
Binomial name
Diuris flavescens

Diuris flavescens, commonly called the pale yellow doubletail [2] or Wingham doubletail, [3] is a species of orchid which is endemic to a small area in New South Wales. It has two linear leaves at its base and up to five pale yellow flowers with dark brown markings. Fewer than 200 plants survive in grassy forest near Wingham.

Contents

Description

Diuris flavescens is a tuberous, perennial herb with two linear leaves 80–170 mm (3–7 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide and folded lengthwise. Up to five pale yellow flowers with dark brown markings, 12 mm (0.5 in) wide are borne on a flowering stem 100–200 mm (4–8 in) tall. The dorsal sepal projects forward and is narrow egg-shaped, 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide. It is yellow with greenish brown and reddish brown blotches. The lateral sepals are lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, green and brown, 12–18 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long, 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide, turned downwards and parallel to, or crossed over each other. The petals are more or less erect, spread apart from each other with an elliptic to almost circular blade 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide on a curved, green to brown stalk 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long. The labellum is 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and has three lobes. The centre lobe is egg-shaped, 4.5–6.5 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide with reddish brown markings and folded lengthwise. The side lobes are linear to narrow egg-shaped, 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. There are two ridge-like calli about 5 mm (0.20 in) long near the base of the mid-line of the base of the labellum. Flowering occurs in September and October. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy and naming

Diuris flavescens was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected south-east of Wingham and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research. [6] The specific epithet (flavescens) is a Latin word meaning "pale yellow", referring to the colour of the flowers of this species. [5]

Distribution and habitat

The pale yellow doubletail grows in grassy forest in the Wingham district. [4] [5]

Conservation

Diuris flavescens is classified as "critically endangered" under the Australian government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 . The main threats to the species are illegal collecting, weed invasion and habitat disturbance. [4] The staff at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan are working to secure the future of the species by growing it from collected seed with the fungus required by the orchid. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Diuris pardina</i> Species of orchid

Diuris pardina, commonly known as the leopard orchid or leopard doubletail is a species of orchid which is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has two or three grass-like leaves and up to ten yellow flowers with reddish-brown marks and blotches.

Diuris maculata, commonly known as the spotted doubletail is a species of orchid which is endemic to New South Wales. It has up to two or three folded leaves and a flowering stem with up to eight yellow flowers with brown to blackish markings. It is similar to D. pardina which has darker flowers with larger brown markings.

<i>Diuris aequalis</i> Species of orchid

Diuris aequalis, commonly called the buttercup doubletail, is a species of orchid which is endemic to New South Wales. It has two rolled leaves and spikes of two to five golden-yellow to orange flowers and is classified as "vulnerable".

<i>Diuris abbreviata</i> Species of orchid

Diuris abbreviata, commonly known as the lemon doubletail, is a species of orchid that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has two or three leaves and a flowering stem with up to nine yellow flowers with darker markings.

<i>Diuris dendrobioides</i> Species of orchid

Diuris dendrobioides, commonly known as the wedge diuris, is a species of orchid which is endemic to eastern Australia. It has one or two leaves and a flowering stem with up to six pale lilac-coloured to mauve flowers with darker markings.

<i>Diuris praecox</i> Species of orchid

Diuris praecox, commonly known as the early doubletail, Newcastle doubletail or rough doubletail is a species of orchid which is endemic to New South Wales. It has two or three grass-like leaves and up to ten light yellow flowers with a few dark brown marks. It is threatened by urbanisation.

Diuris bracteata is a species of orchid which is endemic to New South Wales. It has two folded leaves and up to eight yellow flowers with blackish marks. After its collection in a Sydney suburb in 1888, no further collections were made and the species was presumed extinct until 2004 when it was rediscovered near Gosford.

Diuris brevissima is a species of orchid which is endemic to New South Wales. It has two folded leaves and up to nine light yellow flowers with reddish-brown markings. It is a poorly known species that has only been recorded in the Blue Mountains.

Diuris disposita, commonly called the Macleay River doubletail or Willawarrin doubletail, is a species of orchid which is endemic to a small area in New South Wales. It has one or two linear leaves at its base and up to seven yellow flowers with brown markings. Only about fifty plants survive in grassy forest near Kempsey.

Diuris eburnea is a species of orchid that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has between four and six linear leaves and up to eight pale yellow to cream-coloured flowers with reddish markings. It is only known from near the Arrowsmith River north of Eneabba.

Diuris exitela, commonly called the Mount Moffat doubletail, is a species of orchid which is endemic to central western Queensland. It has two linear leaves at its base, up to twelve bright yellow flowers with dark brown markings and grows on sandstone cliffs and ridges.

Diuris fragrantissima, commonly called the fragrant doubletail or Sunshine diuris, is a species of orchid which is endemic to a small area to the west of Melbourne. It has two linear leaves at its base and up to twelve white flowers with mauve or pale purple markings with unusually long lateral sepals. Only about thirty plants survive in grassland near Sunshine.

Diuris fucosa is a species of orchid that is endemic to New South Wales. It between four and seven leaves and up to four pale yellow flowers with a few brown striations. It is only known from two sites in Callitris woodland in the south of the state and is classed as "extinct" in Victoria.

Diuris immaculata, commonly known as the little Esperance bee orchid, is a rare species of orchid that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has between four and six leaves and up to three golden yellow flowers without markings. It is only known from near Esperance.

Diuris luteola, commonly called the northern doubletail, is a species of orchid which is endemic to Queensland. It has a single linear leaf at its base and up to six pale yellow flowers with a few brown markings. It grows in shallow, stony soil on tablelands in eastern parts of the state.

Diuris oporina, commonly called the autumn donkey orchid or northern white donkeys tails is a species of orchid that is endemic to Queensland. It has a single tapering, linear leaf at its base and up to ten white flowers with mauve to purple markings. It grows in the drier parts of the tablelands in Far North Queensland.

<i>Diuris palustris</i> Species of orchid

Diuris palustris, commonly known as the swamp doubletail or swamp diuris is a species of orchid which is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a tuft of between eight and ten twisted leaves and up to four yellow flowers with brown spots and blotches marks and blotches.

Diuris platichila, commonly known as the Blue Mountains doubletail, is a species of orchid that is endemic to a few isolated places in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. It has two leaves and up to eight yellow flowers with dark markings on the dorsal sepal and labellum. It has relatively long, thin lateral sepals and the central lobe of the labellum is wedge-shaped. It forms hybrids with other species of Diuris.

Diuris recurva, commonly called the mini donkey orchid is a species of orchid that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has one or two leaves at its base, up to six small pale yellow and brownish flowers and grows in winter-wet places between Badgingarra and Kalbarri.

Diuris unica is a species of orchid which is endemic to eastern Australia. It usually has only one grass-like leaf at its base and up to eight bright, lemon-yellow flowers with a few dark markings. It is similar to D. chrysantha but flowers much earlier than that species and has only a single leaf rather than two.

References

  1. "Diuris flavescens". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. 1 2 "Pale Yellow Doubletail - profile". New South Wales Government Officee of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 129. ISBN   1877069124.
  4. 1 2 3 "Diuris flavescens - critically endangered species listing". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (1991). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 2: 56.
  6. "Duiris flavescens". APNI. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  7. "Conserving the terrestrial orchids of NSW". Australian Seedbank Partnership. Retrieved 22 March 2018.