Gastrodia entomogama
| Brindabella potato orchid | |
|---|---|
| |
| Gastrodia entomogama in the Namadgi National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Gastrodieae |
| Genus: | Gastrodia |
| Species: | G. entomogama
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gastrodia entomogama | |
Gastrodia entomogama, commonly known as the Brindabella potato orchid,[2] is a leafless terrestrial mycotrophic orchid in the family Orchidaceae. It has a dark brown or blackish flowering stem with up to sixty brown, warty, tube-shaped flowers. It is only known for certain from the Australian Capital Territory.
Description[edit]
Gastrodia entomogama is a leafless terrestrial, mycotrophic herb that has a thick, fleshy, brittle, dark brown to blackish flowering stem bearing between five and sixty light brown to dark brown, tube-shaped flowers that are rough and warty outside and white inside. The sepals and petals are joined, forming a tube 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long. The petals have irregular or wavy edges. The labellum is 14–17 mm (0.6–0.7 in) long, 6.5–8 mm (0.26–0.31 in) wide and white with orange-coloured edges. Flowering occurs from December to January but the flowers are self-pollinating.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming[edit]
Gastrodia entomogama was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen he collected on Mount Franklin in 1990. The description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[4] The specific epithet (entomogama) is derived from the Ancient Greek words entomon meaning "insect"[5]: 439 and gamos meaning "marriage" or "union",[5]: 361 referring to the flowers originally being described as insect-pollinated.[3]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
The Brindabella potato orchid grows with shrubs and grasses in forest. It is only known for certain from a few locations in the Australian Capital Territory.[2][3]
References[edit]
- ^ "Gastrodia entomogama". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ a b c Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 371–372. ISBN 1877069124.
- ^ a b c David L., Jones (1991). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 2: 63.
- ^ "Gastrodia entomogama". APNI. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ a b Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.