Dendrobium malbrownii
| McIlwraith hermit orchid | |
|---|---|
| |
| Illustration by Lewis Roberts | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Genus: | Dendrobium |
| Species: | D. malbrownii
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| Binomial name | |
| Dendrobium malbrownii | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Dendrobium malbrownii, commonly known as the McIlwraith hermit orchid,[2] is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid in the family Orchidaceae and is endemic to tropical North Queensland, Australia. It has thin, wiry, crowded stems each with narrow, dark green leaves and a single shiny, cream-coloured flower with a purple labellum. It grows on trees, fallen logs and rocks in rainforest on the McIlwraith Range.
Description
[edit]Dendrobium malbrownii is an epiphytic or lithophytic herb with crowded, wiry stems 100–300 mm (4–10 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The leaves are linear, 30–60 mm (1.2–2.4 in) long, about 4 mm (0.16 in) wide and arranged in two rows along the stems. Each stem has a single cream-coloured flower 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long and 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) wide. The dorsal sepal is about 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long and 2 mm (0.079 in) wide, the lateral sepals are a similar length but twice as wide and the petals a similar length but only about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The labellum is purple and yellow, about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and 2.5 mm (0.098 in) wide with small, rounded side lobes and a middle lobe with two faint ridges. Flowering occurs between December and April.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
[edit]Dendrobium malbrownii was first formally described in 1967 by Alick Dockrill in Australian Plants.[4] The specific epithet (malbrownii) honours Malcolm Brown, the collector of the type specimen.[4][5]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The McIlwraith hermit orchid grows on small rocks, logs and trees in rainforest in the McIlwraith Range in tropical North Queensland.[2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Dendrobium malbrownii". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ a b c Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 400. ISBN 1877069124.
- ^ a b D.L.Jones; T.Hopley; S.M.Duffy (2010). "Factsheet - Monanthos malbrownii". Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Dendrobium malbrownii". Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "Brown, Malcolm (1938 - )". Australian National Botanic Garden. Retrieved 4 December 2018.