Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus, commonly known as the white bunny orchid,[3] is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has a single narrow leaf and up to seven greenish and white flowers with reddish or mauve markings. A widespread and common species, it grows in a range of habitats and flowers prolifically after fire.

White bunny orchid
Eriochilus dilatatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Eriochilus
Species:
E. dilatatus

Subspecies:
E. d. subsp. dilatatus
Trinomial name
Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Eriochilus latifolius Lindl.
  • Eriochilus dilatatus var. latifolius (Lindl.) Benth.

Description

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single narrow egg-shaped, flattened, glabrous leaf, 29–90 mm (1–4 in) long, 4–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide. The leaf is dark green and held above ground on a stalk up to 150 mm (6 in) long. Between two and seven flowers 14–18 mm (0.6–0.7 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide are borne on a flowering stem 100–300 mm (4–10 in) tall. The flowers are greenish with reddish markings, except for the lateral sepals which are white. The dorsal sepal is spatula-shaped, 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The lateral sepals are 13–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide on a stalk about 3 mm (0.1 in) long. The petals are 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The labellum 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide with three lobes and scattered clusters of red and white hairs. Flowering occurs from March to June.[1][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

The white bunny orchid was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley who gave it the name Eriochilus latifolius and published the description in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.[6] In 1873, George Bentham changed the name to Eriochilus dilatatus var. latifolius[7] and in 2006, Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown changed the name to E. dilatatus subsp. dilatatus.[2] The specific epithet (dilatatus) is a Latin word meaning "spread out", "enlarge", or "extend".[8]

Distribution and habitat

The swamp bunny orchid grows in woodland, shrubland and in shallow soil on granite outcrops between Dirk Hartog Island and Israelite Bay.[3][4][5][9]

Conservation

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[9]

References
  1. Hopper, Stephen; Brown, Andrew Phillip (2006). "New and reinstated taxa in Eriochilus" (PDF). Nuytsia. 16 (1): 37–38. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  2. "Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus". APNI. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  3. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 273–274. ISBN 1877069124.
  4. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 256. ISBN 9780980296457.
  5. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 221. ISBN 9780646562322.
  6. "Eriochilus latifolius". APNI. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  7. "Eriochilus dilatatus var. latifolius". APNI. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  8. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 743.
  9. "Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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