Diuris filifolia

Diuris filifolia, commonly known as the cat's face orchid,[3] is a species of orchid which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is one of the rarest Diuris in Western Australia, sometimes flowering in large numbers but only after hot summer fires.

Cat's face orchid
Caladenia longicauda (A), Diuris filifolia (B) and Thelymitra villosa (C) from A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Diuris
Species:
D. filifolia
Binomial name
Diuris filifolia

Description

Diuris filifolia is a tuberous, perennial herb, growing to a height of 200–450 mm (8–20 in) with between six and thirteen leaves, each 50–120 mm (2–5 in) long and 1–3 mm (0.04–0.1 in) wide. There are between two and seven pale yellow flowers with reddish-brown markings and 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) long, about 20 mm (0.8 in) wide. The dorsal sepal is more or less erect, tapers towards the tip, 10–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long, 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) wide. The lateral sepals are 12–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide and turned downwards and forwards. The petals are erect or curved backwards with the blade 9–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide on a brown stalk 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The labellum has three lobes, the centre lobe 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide and the side lobes 3.5–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. There are two callus ridges 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long in the mid-line of the labellum. Flowering occurs from October to November and is enhanced by a hot fire the previous summer.[3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Diuris filifolia was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley and the description was published in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony as an appendix to Edwards's Botanical Register.[6][1] The specific epithet (filifolia) is derived from the Latin words filum meaning "thread"[7]:797 and folium meaning "a leaf",[7]:466 referring to the thin leaves at the base of the flowering stem of this species.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The cat's face orchid grows in sandy soil on the edge of winter-wet areas between York and Mount Barker in the Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic region. It is a rare Diuris which sometimes flowers in large numbers but only after hot fires the previous summer.[4][5]

Conservation

Diuris filifolia is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[8]

References
  1. Lindley, John (1840). A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony (Appendix). Piccadilly, London: James Ridgway. p. 51. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  2. "Diuris filifolia". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  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. 123. ISBN 1877069124.
  4. 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. 225. ISBN 9780980348149.
  5. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 494. ISBN 9780646562322.
  6. "Duiris filifolia". APNI. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  8. "Diuris filifolia". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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