''Diuris setacea'', commonly called the bristly donkey orchid, is a species of

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

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 elsew ...

to the

south-west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It has a tuft of up to ten twisted leaves at its base and up to seven yellow flowers with a few brown markings. It grows in moist soil on granite outcrops and flowers much more prolifically after fire the previous summer.

Description

''Diuris setacea'' is a

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 ...

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 six and ten spirally twisted leaves in a tuft at its base. The leaves are long and wide. Between two and seven yellow flowers with brown markings, long and wide are borne on a flowering stem tall. The dorsal sepal is erect, long and wide. The lateral sepals are long, wide and turned downwards. 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 more or less erect or bent backwards, long and wide on a greenish brown stalk long. The labellum is long and has three lobes. The centre lobe is diamond-shaped, wide and folded lengthwise. The side lobes are long and wide and spread apart from each other. There are two, ridge-like calli long and outlined in brown along the mid-line of the labellum. Flowering occurs from October to December but much more prolifically after fire the previous summer.

Taxonomy and naming

''Diuris setacea'' was first described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in his '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. 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 ...

(''setacea'') 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 ''seta'' meaning "bristle".

Distribution and habitat

The bristly donkey orchid grows in low heath in moist soil on granite outcrops between Esperance and Kalbarri.

Conservation

''Diuris setacea'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q10267419 setacea Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of Western Australia Endemic flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1810