''Corunastylis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of about 50 species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

s in the

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, Orchidaceae. Commonly called midge orchids or pygmy orchids, they are

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

ous herbs found in Australia,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and New Caledonia. They are similar to orchids in the genus ''

Genoplesium ''Genoplesium'' commonly known as midge orchids, is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae and is found in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. Midge orchids are terrestrial herbs with a single lea ...

'' and have been included with them in the past.

Description

Midge orchids are all terrestrial,

sympodial Sympodial growth is a bifurcating branching pattern where one branch develops more strongly than the other, resulting in the stronger branches forming the primary shoot and the weaker branches appearing laterally. A sympodium, also referred to a ...

herbs. A single thin, hollow, cylinder-shaped long surrounds and is fused to the flowering stem with a short, free tip. From a few to up to fifty tiny flowers are crowded along a thin flowering stem. As with leek orchids (genus ''

Prasophyllum ''Prasophyllum'', commonly known as leek orchids, is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae and is found in Australia and New Zealand. The Australian species are found in all states but have not been re ...

''), the flowers are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s and petals are hairy in some species but

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

in others, and often have a small gland near their tips. The labellum is attached by a small hinge and in some species vibrates in the slightest breeze.

Taxonomy and naming

In 1888,

Robert Fitzgerald Robert Stuart Fitzgerald (; 12 October 1910 – 16 January 1985) was an American poet, literary critic and translator whose renderings of the Greek classics "became standard works for a generation of scholars and students".Mitgang, Herbert (Janua ...

formally described ''Corunastylis apostasioides'' and published the description in ''Australian Orchids'', the first time the name ''Corunastylis'' had been used. In 1889, Mueller changed the name to ''Prasophyllum apostasioides'' and in 1989, David Jones and Mark Clements placed it and most other species of ''Prasophyllum'' into ''

''. In 2002 Jones and Clements moved all the species of ''Genoplesium'' back into ''Corunastylis'' except for the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

species '' Genoplesium baueri''. Not all authorities have accepted the move from ''Genoplesium'' to ''Corunastylis'', including the

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) is an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected pla ...

maintained by

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

. The genus name ''Corunastylis'' is derived from Greek words meaning "a thick stick" and "a style".

Distribution and habitat

Midge orchids are mainly

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to eastern Australia, but two ('' C. nuda'' and '' C. pumila'') occur in

and one ('' Corunastylis caloptera'') is endemic to New Caledonia. They often grow in moist places with rushes or

sedges The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

, making tham difficult to see.

Ecology

Most species of ''Corunastylis'' are pollinated by small vinegar flies attracted by the scent produced by glands on the flowers, but a few are self-pollinating.

Species list

Although the name ''Corunastylis'' is not accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, it is used by Australian authorities. The following is a list of ''Corunastylis'' species as recognised in Australia. Common names are those used by David Jones. *'' Corunastylis acuminata'' ( R.S.Rogers)

D.L.Jones David Lloyd Jones (born 1944) is an Australians, Australian horticultural botanist and the author of many books and papers, especially on Australian orchids. Jones was born in Victoria (Australia), Victoria and in his youth was a student at Burnl ...

& M.A.Clem. – pointed midge orchid *'' Corunastylis alticola'' (D.L.Jones & B.Gray) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – tableland midge orchid *'' Corunastylis anthracina'' D.L.Jones – black midge orchid *'' Corunastylis apostasioides'' Fitzg. – freak midge orchid *'' Corunastylis archeri'' (

Hook.f. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of ...

) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – elfin midge orchid *'' Corunastylis arrecta'' D.L.Jones – erect midge orchid *'' Corunastylis bishopii'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Gibraltar Range midge orchid *'' Corunastylis brachystachya'' (

Lindl. John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley ...

) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – short spike midge orchid, Rocky Cape midge orchid *'' Corunastylis capparina'' D.L.Jones *'' Corunastylis carecta'' D.L.Jones & L.M.Copel. *'' Corunastylis ciliata'' ( Ewart & B.Rees) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – fringed midge orchid *'' Corunastylis citriodora'' (D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - lemon scented midge orchid *'' Corunastylis clivicola'' D.L.Jones (NSW, ACT) *'' Corunastylis conferta'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – crowded midge orchid *'' Corunastylis cornuta'' D.L.Jones *'' Corunastylis cranei'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Blackall Ridge midge orchid *'' Corunastylis cuspidata'' D.L.Jones & L.M.Copel. *'' Corunastylis densa'' ( Fitzg.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – dense midge orchid *'' Corunastylis despectans'' (Hook.f.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - sharp midge orchid *'' Corunastylis ectopa'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Brindabella midge orchid *'' Corunastylis eriochila'' (Fitzg.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Mount Wilson midge orchid *'' Corunastylis filiformis'' (Fitzg.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – glandular midge orchid *'' Corunastylis fimbriata'' ( R.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - fringed midge orchid *'' Corunastylis firthii'' ( L.Cady) D.L.Jones – Firth's midge orchid *'' Corunastylis formosa'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Cathcart midge orchid *'' Corunastylis insignis'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – dark midge orchid *'' Corunastylis laminata'' (Fitzg.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – red midge orchid *'' Corunastylis leptochila'' D.L.Jones *'' Corunastylis littoralis'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Tuncurry midge orchid *'' Corunastylis morina'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – mulberry midge orchid *'' Corunastylis morrisii'' (Nicholls) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - bearded midge orchid *'' Corunastylis mucronata'' ( Rupp) D.L.Jones *'' Corunastylis nigricans'' (R.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - Kangaroo Island midge orchid *'' Corunastylis nuda'' (Hook.f.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - tiny midge orchid *'' Corunastylis nudiscapa'' (Hook.f.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - brownish midge orchid *'' Corunastylis obovata'' (Rupp) D.L.Jones *'' Corunastylis oligantha'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Mongarlowe midge orchid *'' Corunastylis ostrina'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – purple midge orchid *'' Corunastylis parvicalla'' (Rupp) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – mountain-top midge orchid *'' Corunastylis pedersonii'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Pederson's midge orchid *'' Corunastylis plumosa'' (Rupp) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - Tallong midge orchid *'' Corunastylis psammophila'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – coastal midge orchid *'' Corunastylis pumila'' (Hook.f.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - green midge orchid *'' Corunastylis rhyolitica'' (D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Pambula midge orchid *'' Corunastylis rufa'' (R.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - rufous midge orchid *'' Corunastylis ruppii'' ( R.S.Rogers) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Rupp's midge orchid *'' Corunastylis sagittifera'' (Rupp) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – horned midge orchid *'' Corunastylis sigmoidea'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Dave's Creek midge orchid *'' Corunastylis simulans'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Blue Mountains midge orchid *'' Corunastylis stephensonii'' D.L.Jones *'' Corunastylis superba'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – pink midge orchid *'' Corunastylis systena'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Kangarooby midge orchid *'' Corunastylis tasmanica'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Tasmanian midge orchid *'' Corunastylis tecta'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Cardwell midge orchid *'' Corunastylis tenella'' D.L.Jones & L.M.Copel. *'' Corunastylis tepperi'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vic ...

ex Tepper) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – mallee midge orchid *'' Corunastylis trifida'' (Rupp) D.L.Jones & L.M.Copel. – blackish midge orchid *'' Corunastylis turfosa'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – alpine midge orchid *'' Corunastylis unica'' (Rupp) D.L.Jones *'' Corunastylis valida'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – Blackdown midge orchid *'' Corunastylis vernalis'' (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – spring midge orchid *'' Corunastylis woollsii'' (F.Muell.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. – dark midge orchid

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3906506 Diurideae genera Orchids of Western Australia