Microtis media subsp. media

Microtis media subsp. media, commonly known as the common mignonette orchid, is a species of orchid which is endemic to the south–west of Western Australia. It is a common, widespread orchid with a single smooth, tubular leaf and a flowering spike with up to one hundred small green flowers. It differs from Microtis media subsp. densiflora in the shape of its flower spike and the shape of its labellum.

Common mignonette orchid
Microtis media subsp. media growing in Kings Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Microtis
Species:
M. media

Subspecies:
M. m. subsp. media
Trinomial name
Microtis media subsp. media
Synonyms[2]

Microtis viridis F.Muell. ex Benth.

Description

Microtis media subsp. media is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, smooth, tubular leaf 250–650 mm (10–30 in) long and 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide. Between twenty and one hundred small greenish-yellow flowers are arranged on an erect, fleshy raceme. Each flower is about 3 mm (0.1 in) long and wide. The dorsal sepal is about 3 mm (0.1 in) long and with the slightly shorter petals forms a hood over the column. The lateral sepals are about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and curl downwards. The labellum has a notched tip and thickened edges with small teeth and there are two comma-shaped calli at its base. Flowering occurs from September to January.[3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Microtis media was first formally described by Robert Brown in 1810 and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[1][6] In 1990 Robert Bates described three subspecies including subspecies media, densiflora and quadrata but the last of these has been raised to species status. The epithet media is derived from the Latin medius (middle, intermediate), alluding to the intermediate floral structure".[4]

Distribution and habitat

The common mignonette orchid is found between Shark Bay and the Eyre Bird Observatory. It grows in a range of habitats ranging from forests to soil pockets on granite outcrops.[4][5][7]

Conservation

Microtis media subsp. media is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[7]

References
  1. "Microtis media". APNI. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. "Microtis media subsp. media". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. Bates, Robert (1990). "Notes of the genus Microtis (Orchidaceae) in Western Australia with the description of two new taxa" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. 13: 51–54. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  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. 288. ISBN 9780980348149.
  5. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 339. ISBN 9780646562322.
  6. Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae. London. p. 321. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  7. "Microtis media subsp. media". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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