White bunny orchid
Eriochilus dilatatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Eriochilus
Species:
E. dilatatus

Subspecies:
E. d. subsp. dilatatus
Trinomial name
Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Eriochilus latifolius Lindl.
  • Eriochilus dilatatus var. latifolius (Lindl.) Benth.

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus, commonly known as the white bunny orchid,[3] is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has a single narrow leaf and up to seven greenish and white flowers with reddish or mauve markings. A widespread and common species, it grows in a range of habitats and flowers prolifically after fire.

Description

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single narrow egg-shaped, flattened, glabrous leaf, 29–90 mm (1–4 in) long, 4–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide. The leaf is dark green and held above ground on a stalk up to 150 mm (6 in) long. Between two and seven flowers 14–18 mm (0.6–0.7 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide are borne on a flowering stem 100–300 mm (4–10 in) tall. The flowers are greenish with reddish markings, except for the lateral sepals which are white. The dorsal sepal is spatula-shaped, 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The lateral sepals are 13–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide on a stalk about 3 mm (0.1 in) long. The petals are 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The labellum 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide with three lobes and scattered clusters of red and white hairs. Flowering occurs from March to June.[1][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

The white bunny orchid was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley who gave it the name Eriochilus latifolius and published the description in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.[6] In 1873, George Bentham changed the name to Eriochilus dilatatus var. latifolius[7] and in 2006, Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown changed the name to E. dilatatus subsp. dilatatus.[2] The specific epithet (dilatatus) is a Latin word meaning "spread out", "enlarge", or "extend".[8]

Distribution and habitat

The swamp bunny orchid grows in woodland, shrubland and in shallow soil on granite outcrops between Dirk Hartog Island and Israelite Bay.[3][4][5][9]

Conservation

Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Hopper, Stephen; Brown, Andrew Phillip (2006). "New and reinstated taxa in Eriochilus" (PDF). Nuytsia. 16 (1): 37–38. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus". APNI. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 273–274. ISBN 1877069124.
  4. 1 2 Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 256. ISBN 9780980296457.
  5. 1 2 Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 221. ISBN 9780646562322.
  6. ↑ "Eriochilus latifolius". APNI. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Eriochilus dilatatus var. latifolius". APNI. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 743.
  9. 1 2 "Eriochilus dilatatus subsp. dilatatus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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