Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. orientalis

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. orientalis, commonly known as the eastern bunny orchid,[1] is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has a single short, smooth, flattened, egg-shaped leaf and up to seven dull green, red and white flowers on a fleshy flowering stem. It only occurs on the coast near Caiguna.

Eastern bunny orchid

Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
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. orientalis
Trinomial name
Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. orientalis

Description

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. orientalis is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single smooth, flattened, egg-shaped leaf, 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long and 5–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide. Up to seven (mostly between three and five) flowers 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 9–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide are borne on a green, fleshy flowering stem 150–260 mm (6–10 in) tall. The flowers are greenish with red or mauve markings, except for the lateral sepals which are white and are well spaced along the flowering stem. The labellum has three lobes and scattered clusters of green and maroon bristles. Flowering occurs from April to May.[1][2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. orientalis was first formally described in 2006 by Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown from a specimen collected at Toolina Cove near Caiguna and the description was published in Nuytsia.[4] The subspecies epithet (orientalis) is a Latin word meaning "of the east",[5] referring to the distribution of this subspecies.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The eastern bunny orchid grows in shallow soil on limestone cliffs and nearby woodland between Caiguna and Toolina Cove.[1][2][3][6]

Conservation

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. orientalis is classified as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[6] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[7]

References
  1. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 258. ISBN 9780980296457.
  2. Hopper, Stephen; Brown, Andrew Phillip (2006). "New and reinstated taxa in Eriochilus" (PDF). Nuytsia. 16 (1): 42–43. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  3. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 224. ISBN 9780646562322.
  4. "Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. orientalis". APNI. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 291.
  6. "Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. orientalis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  7. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
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