Microtis oligantha

Microtis oligantha, commonly known as the small onion orchid[2] is a species of orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a single thin, hollow, onion-like leaf and up to ten small green flowers. It differs from the other two onion orchids in New Zealand, (M. unifolia and M. parviflora) in being a much smaller plant with a more pointed dorsal sepal.

Small onion orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Microtis
Species:
M. oligantha
Binomial name
Microtis oligantha

Description

Microtis oligantha is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single erect, smooth, tubular leaf up to 200 mm (8 in) long. Between one and ten green or yellowish-green flowers up to 3 mm (0.1 in) are arranged along a flowering stem up to 30 mm (1 in) long. The dorsal sepal is broadly egg-shaped, 2.5 mm (0.1 in) long and hood-like. The lateral sepals are much shorter and narrower than the dorsal sepal and curve downwards. The petals are shorter than the lateral sepals and are mostly enclosed by the dorsal sepal. The labellum is oblong, up to 2 mm (0.08 in) long and curves downwards to be more or less parallel to the ovary. Flowering occurs from December to March.[2]

Taxonomy and naming

Microtis oligantha was first formally described in 1968 by Lucy Moore from a specimen collected on the edge of Lake Roundabout east of Ashburton and the description was published in the New Zealand Journal of Botany.[1][3] The specific epithet (oligantha) is derived from the Ancient Greek words oligos meaning "few", "little" or "scanty"[4]:325 and anthos meaning "flower".[4]:338

Distribution and habitat

The small onion orchid grows in damp grassland and meadows in montane and subalpine parts of both the North, South and Chatham Islands.[5]

Conservation

Microtis eremaea is classified as "not threatened" in New Zealand.[2]

References
  1. "Microtis oligantha". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. de Lange, Peter. "Microtis oligantha". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  3. Moore, Lucy (1968). "Taxonomic notes on New Zealand monocotyledons". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 6 (4): 473–477. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1968.10428586.
  4. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  5. "Microtis oligantha". New Zealand Native Orchid Group. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
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