Sarcochilus hillii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Myrtle bells | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sarcochilus hillii in Bugong National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Genus: | Sarcochilus |
| Species: | S. hillii |
| Binomial name | |
| Sarcochilus hillii | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Sarcochilus hillii, commonly known as myrtle bells,[2] is a small epiphytic orchid native to eastern Australia and New Caledonia. It has up to ten drooping, quill-shaped leaves and up to ten frosty white or pink flowers that have a hairy labellum with purple stripes.
Sarcochilus hillii is a drooping, epiphytic herb with stems 20–50 mm (0.79–2.0 in) long. It has between two and ten linear or quill-shaped leaves 60–100 mm (2.4–3.9 in) long and about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide. Between two and ten frosty white or pink flowers, 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long and wide are arranged on a flowering stem 50–120 mm (2.0–4.7 in) long. The dorsal sepal is 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide, the lateral sepals slightly longer. The petals are 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) wide. The labellum is hairy, about 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide and has three lobes. The side lobes are erect with purple stripes on the inside surface the middle lobe is densely hairy. Flowering occurs between October and December but only a few flowers are open at once.[2][3]