Thismia lanternata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fairy lantern | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Dioscoreales |
| Family: | Burmanniaceae |
| Genus: | Thismia |
| Species: | T. lanternata |
| Binomial name | |
| Thismia lanternata | |
Thismia lanternata, commonly known as fairy lantern, is a plant in the family Burmanniaceae found only in the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, Australia.
Thismia lanternata is a small underground herb and an obligate myco-heterotroph, that is, it lacks chlorophyll and relies on a symbiotic association with fungi to obtain its nutrients. The roots, stem and leaves of the plant remain underground and only the flower appears above ground. The leaves are scale-like, pale, and measure up to 5 mm long by 3 mm wide. The flowers are solitary and are about 25 mm long by 12 mm wide. Only one fruit (immature) has been observed, which measured about 5 mm long and wide.[4]
Taxonomy
This species was first described (as Thismia lanternatus) by the Australian botanist Wendy Elizabeth Cooper, and published in the journal Austrobaileya in 2017. The species epithet lanternata is a reference to the lantern-like flower.[4]
Distribution and habitat
As of June 2024[update], it is only known from collections in disturbed rainforest near Chilverton, between Evelyn and Ravenshoe on the Atherton Tableland, Queensland.[5]
