''Diuris protena'', commonly known as northern golden moths, is a species of orchid which is endemic to Victoria. It has a tuft of between four and eight leaves at the base and up to three mostly yellow flowers with a few light-coloured marks. It is classed as "endangered" in Victoria.

Description

''Diuris protena'' is a tuberous, perennial

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 ...

with between four and eight linear leaves long and wide in a loose

tussock Tussock may refer to: * Tussock grass, a group of species in the family Poaceae *Floating island * Lymantriinae, called tussock moths or tussocks See also * Hassock (disambiguation) Hassock may refer to: * Kneeler, a cushion or a piece of f ...

. Up to three flowers wide are borne on a flowering stem tall. The flowers are pale yellow with a few light brown markings at the base of the dorsal sepal and labellum. The dorsal sepal is held more or less horizontally and is egg-shaped, long and wide. The lateral sepals are narrow linear to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long, wide, turned downwards and parallel to each other. 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 directed forwards with a more or less egg-shaped blade long and wide on a greenish-brown stalk long. The labellum is long and has three lobes. The centre lobe is egg-shaped, long, wide and the side lobes are oblong to wedge-shaped, long and about wide. There are two broad, pimply calli in the mid-line of the base of the labellum. Flowering occurs in August and September.

Taxonomy and naming

''Diuris protena'' was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones from a specimen collected in the

Terrick Terrick National Park The Terrick Terrick National Park is a national park located in the region of Victoria, Australia. The national park was declared in June 1988 and is situated approximately northwest of Melbourne, north of the town of Mitiamo and north of Be ...

in 2004. 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 ...

(''protena'') is a Latin word meaning "before" or "forward", referring to the early flowering of this orchid.

Distribution and habitat

The orchid is known from sites in northern and north-western Victoria between Donald, Terrick Terrick and Elmore. It is found in remnants of Victoria’s native grassland and grassy woodland habitats. The largest population, of some 400 plants, was discovered at

Bush Heritage Australia Bush Heritage Australia is a non-profit organisation with headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, that operates throughout Australia. It was previously known as the Australian Bush Heritage Fund, which is still its legal name. It's vision is: Heal ...

’s Nardoo Hills Reserves, 60 km south-west of Terrick Terrick, in yellow box woodland on the slopes of Mount Kerang. A likely

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the maj ...

of the orchid is a

native bee 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 entertai ...

that also pollinates bulbine lilies, similar in colour and size to the orchid, that are found in the same habitat.

Conservation

Almost all of the orchid’s habitat has been cleared for farming, with remaining sites threatened by weed infestation. In 2007 the population was estimated to comprise several hundred plants. The species is listed as endangered under Victoria’s

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4358492 Orchids of Victoria (state) Endemic orchids of Australia protena Plants described in 2006 Taxa named by David L. Jones (botanist)