''Dipodium punctatum'', commonly known as the blotched hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless

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 flowering ...

that is a

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to eastern and south-eastern continental

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In summer it produces a tall flowering stem with up to sixty pale to bright pink flowers with heavy red blotches. A widespread and common species it is often confused with '' D. roseum'' and some authorities regard it as a synonym of '' D. squamatum''. Dipodium punctatum portrait

Description

''Dipodium punctatum'' is a leafless,

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 growing ...

ous,

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 wide ...

mycoheterotrophic Myco-heterotrophy (from Greek μύκης , "fungus", ἕτερος ', "another", "different" and τροφή ', "nutrition") is a symbiotic relationship between certain kinds of plants and fungi, in which the plant gets all or part of its food fro ...

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 five and sixty pale to bright pink flowers with heavy red blotches and wide are borne on a green to blackish,

hyacinth Hyacinth or Hyacinthus may refer to: Nature Plants * Hyacinth (plant), genus ''Hyacinthus'' ** ''Hyacinthus orientalis'', common hyacinth * Grape hyacinth, ''Muscari'', a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia * Hyacinth bean, ''Labl ...

-like flowering stem tall. 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 coined b ...

s and

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 linear to elliptic or lance-shaped, long, wide and free from each other with their tips sometimes slightly curved backwards. The labellum is long, wide and has three lobes. The centre lobe has a band of pink to mauve hairs, the band narrow near the base but widening towards the tip of the lobe. Flowering occurs from November to March. This orchid is often confused with ''D. roseum'' but has a narrower band of labellum hairs, darker blotches and less recurved sepals and petals.

Taxonomy and naming

This orchid was first formally described in 1804 by English botanist

James Edward Smith James Edward Smith may refer to: * James Edward Smith (botanist), English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society * James Edward Smith (murderer), American murderer * James Edward Smith (politician), Canadian businessman and mayor of Toronto * ...

in the journal ''Exotic Botany''. Smith gave it the name ''Dendrobium punctatum''. In 1810, Scottish botanist Robert Brown placed the species in his newly described genus ''

Dipodium ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial ...

'', publishing the change in ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

''. 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 ...

(''punctatum'') is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''punctum'' meaning "little hole", "dot" or "point". 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 plan ...

(WCSP) records this species as a synonym of ''

Dipodium squamatum ''Dipodium squamatum'' is a myco-heterotrophy, mycoheterotrophicorchid species of the tribe Cymbidieae. Taxonomy The species was formally described in 1786 by German botanist Georg Forster, who gave it the name ''Ophrys squamata''. It was then t ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

The blotched hyacinth orchid is common in woodland and forest along the coast and ranges of

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 ...

, the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. It is also widespread in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

especially in the east of the state. There are a few records of the species from the far south-east corner of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. ''Dipodium punctatum'' does not occur in Tasmania. Plants in that state previously classified as ''D. punctatum'' are currently referred to '' D. roseum'', which was described in 1991. In South Australia, ''D. punctatum'' is listed as endangered. Populations currently included within ''D. roseum'' and '' D. campanulatum'' were originally part of a wider circumscription of ''D. punctatum'' in South Australia.

References

''Dipodium punctatum''
Ecology of Cumberland Plain Woodland, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

ABC

External links

*
Herbarium specimen of ''Dendrobium punctatum'' (The Linnean Society of London)

Youtube video of ''D. punctatum''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5280025 Orchids of New South Wales Orchids of the Australian Capital Territory Orchids of Queensland Orchids of South Australia Orchids of Victoria (Australia) Endemic orchids of Australia punctatum Plants described in 1804