Calochilus pruinosus

Calochilus pruinosus, commonly known as the mallee beard orchid,[2] is a species of orchid endemic to southern continental Australia. It has up to fifteen dull greenish, pinkish or brownish flowers with red lines and a labellum with a purplish "beard", but is leafless.

Mallee beard orchid

Declared rare (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Calochilus
Species:
C. pruinosus
Binomial name
Calochilus pruinosus

Description

Calochilus pruinosus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber but is leafless. Up to fifteen dull greenish, pinkish or brownish flowers with red lines are borne on a flowering stem 150–500 mm (6–20 in) tall. The dorsal sepal is oblong to egg-shaped, 4–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 4–5.5 mm (0.16–0.22 in) wide. The lateral sepals are 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 3.5–4.5 mm (0.14–0.18 in) wide. The petals are broad egg-shaped and a similar size to the dorsal sepal. The labellum is curved, 10–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 5.5–6.5 mm (0.22–0.26 in) wide and has up to six dark purple plates with a metallic lustre near its base. The middle part of the laballum has scattered bristly hairs up to 4 mm (0.2 in) long and the tip has a glandular "tail" about 2.5 mm (0.1 in) long. The column has two purple "eyes" joined by a faint ridge. The flowers have a cupped appearance, only last two or three days and are thought to be self-pollinating. Flowering occurs from August to October.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Calochilus pruinosus was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research from a specimen collected near Hopetoun.[6] The specific epithet (pruinosus) is a Latin word meaning "frosty" or "rimy".[5][7]

Distribution and habitat

The mallee beard orchid grows in woodland in coastal areas between Hopetoun and Eyre in the Esperance Plains and Hampton biogeographic regions.[2][5][8]

Conservation

As of 2011, C. pruinosus is only known from three sites near Hopetoun, although there are historical records from south of the Stirling Range and near Eyre. The species is classified as "critically endangered" under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. The main threats to the species are habitat degradation, habitat loss and inappropriate fire regimes.[9]

References
  1. "Calochilus pruinosus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  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. 259. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. Brown, Andrew; Dixon, Kingsley; French, Christopher; Brockman, Garry (2013). Field guide to the orchids of Western Australia : the definitive guide to the native orchids of Western Australia. Simon Nevill Publications. p. 166. ISBN 9780980348149.
  4. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 329. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. Jones, David L. (2006). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 5: 67–68.
  6. "Calochilus pruinosus". APNI. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 382.
  8. "Calochilus pruinosus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  9. "Fitzgerald biosphere recorvery plan" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation. p. 42. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
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