''Gastrodia agnicellus'' 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 ...

in the genus ''

Gastrodia ''Gastrodia'', commonly known as potato orchids or as 天麻属 (tian ma shu), is a genus of terrestrial leafless orchids in the family Orchidaceae, about ninety of which have been described. Orchids in this genus have fleshy, upright stems and ...

'', found in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and described in '' Curtis's Botanical Magazine '' by

Johan Hermans Johan Hermans (born 1956) is a British botanist specialising in orchids, and an Honorary Research Associate of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Depa ...

in 2020. It has been said to be "the ugliest orchid in the world", with "brown, fleshy and grotesque" flowers. Like all species in its genus, it is leafless and

mycotrophic A mycotroph is a plant that gets all or part of its carbon, water, or nutrient supply through symbiotic association with fungi. The term can refer to plants that engage in either of two distinct symbioses with fungi: *Many mycotrophs have a mut ...

. ''Agnicellus'' means "little lamb" or "lambkin". The name "refers to the woolly covering on the rhizome, the ear-like petals and also alludes to the name of the botanical artist who brought the new species to life in her drawing." For her work on this species the illustrator, Deborah Lambkin, won the 2020 Margaret Flockton Award, an annual award "for excellence in scientific botanical illustration" made by the

Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government a ...

Distribution and habitat

''Gastrodia agnicellus'' has only been found in the

Vatovavy-Fitovinany Fitovinany is a region located in southeast Madagascar. Its capital is Manakara. It is inhabited by the Antemoro people. It formerly belonged to the region Vatovavy-Fitovinany that was split on 16 June 2021 to become the regions Vatovavy and Fito ...

region in the southeast of

. It lives in the shade in the forests of Madagscar, often under

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

and

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

References

agnicellus Orchids of Madagascar Plants described in 2020 {{Epidendroideae-stub