Calochilus pulchellus

Calochilus pulchellus, commonly known as the pretty beard orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south coast of New South Wales. It has a single dark green leaf with a dark red base and up to five pale green to greenish yellow flowers with red striations and a labellum with a coppery red "beard". Fewer than thirty plants growing in three sites are known.

Pretty beard orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Calochilus
Species:
C. pulchellus
Binomial name
Calochilus pulchellus

Description

Calochilus pulchellus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single dark green, linear to lance-shaped leaf 100–180 mm (4–7 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide with a dark red base. The leaf is fully developed at flowering time. Up to five pale green to greenish yellow flowers with red stripes are borne on a flowering stem 200–300 mm (8–10 in) tall. Individual flowers last for between two and four days. The dorsal sepal is broad elliptical, 13–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and 8–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide. The lateral sepals are a similar length but narrower and spread apart from each other. The petals are 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide, asymmetrically egg-shaped with a small upturned tip. The labellum is flat, 28–30 mm (1.1–1.2 in) long, 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) wide, with short red calli near its base. The central part of the labellum is covered with coppery red hairs up to 6 mm (0.2 in) long and there is a glandular tip which is 12–17 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long. The column has two blackish "eyes" without a ridge between them. Flowering occurs from October to November but each flower only last between two and four days.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Calochilus pulchellus was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones from a specimen collected in the Morton National Park and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[5] The specific epithet (pulchellus) is the diminutive form of the Latin word pulcher meaning "pretty", hence "pretty little",[6] referring to the flowers of this species.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The pretty beard orchid grows in low heath. It is only known from three sites in the Shoalhaven district.[2][4]

Conservation

This orchid is listed as "endangered" under the New South Wales Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The main threat to the species is its small population size.[4]

References
  1. "Calochilus pulchellus". 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. 261. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. Jones, David L. (2006). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 5: 68–69.
  4. "Calochilus pulchellus - endangered species listing". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  5. "Calochilus pulchellus". APNI. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 409.
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