''Dipodium elegantulum'', commonly known as the elegant hyacinth orchid, is a leafless orchid that is endemic to Queensland. In spring and summer it has up to sixty pale to dark pink flowers with a few darker spots and streaks near the tips, on a tall flowering stem.

Description

''Dipodium elegantulum'' is a tuberous, perennial, saprophytic

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

. Between August and December it produces a flowering stem tall bearing between twenty and sixty flowers. The flowers are pale to dark pink with a few darker spots and streaks near the tips and wide. The dorsal sepal is linear to lance-shaped, long, wide and the lateral sepals are a similar shape but slightly longer and narrower. The

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are a similar shape but slightly curved, long, about , free from each other and the sepals. The labellum is dark pink and projects forwards, long, wide with an upturned tip and a narrow central band of mauve hairs up to long.

Taxonomy and naming

''Dipodium atropurpureum'' was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones and the description was published in ''Australian Orchid Research'' from a specimen collected near

Mareeba Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the waters'' ...

. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''elegantulum'') is a Latin word meaning "very fine", referring to the flowers of this orchid.

Distribution and habitat

The elegant hyacinth orchid is widespread in forest and grassy woodland between the Mount Windsor Tableland, the

Hervey Range The Hervey Range is a large mountain range about north of Townsville, in Queensland, Australia. It is one of the highest peaks in the Townsville region and is also the location of the Herveys Range Heritage Tea Rooms. The highest point of the ...

and Charters Towers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5280026 Orchids of Queensland Endemic orchids of Australia elegantulum Plants described in 1991