Calochilus robertsonii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Purple beard orchid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Lane Cove National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Diurideae |
| Genus: | Calochilus |
| Species: | C. robertsonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Calochilus robertsonii | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Calochilus robertsoni Benth. orth. var.,/small> | |
Calochilus robertsonii, commonly known as purple beard orchid[2] or purplish beard orchid,[3] is a species of orchid native to Australia and New Zealand. It has a single dark green leaf and up to nine green to brown flowers with reddish or purplish stripes. The labellum has a glossy purple, mauve, or bronze-coloured beard with a ridge between the "eye" spots.
Calochilus robertsonii is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single fleshy, dark green, linear to lance-shaped leaf which is 150–400 mm (6–20 in) long and 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) wide. Unlike some others in the genus, the leaf is fully developed at flowering time. Up to nine green to brown flowers with reddish or purplish stripes are borne on a flowering stem 150–450 mm (6–20 in) tall. The dorsal sepal is 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long, 8–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide and the lateral sepals are a similar length but narrower. The petals are 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide. The labellum is flat, 20–35 mm (0.8–1 in) long, 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) wide, with short, purplish calli near its base. The middle section of the labellum has coarse, mauve, purple or bronze-coloured hairs up to 5 mm (0.2 in) and the tip has a glandular "tail" 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The column has two purple sham "eyes" joined by a distinct ridge. Flowering occurs from August to early December.[2][3][4][5]
