''Gastrodia crebriflora'', commonly known as dense potato orchid, is a leafless terrestrial

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 ...

orchid in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Orchidaceae. It has a pale brown flowering stem and up to thirty five crowded, drooping, white to pale brown flowers. It is only known from the Blackdown Tableland in

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_ ...

, Australia.

Description

''Gastrodia crebriflora'' is a leafless terrestrial, mycotrophic

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 ...

that has a shiny, fleshy, pale brown flowering stem bearing ten and thirty five flowers pale brown to white, drooping, tube-shaped flowers. 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 joined, forming a tube about long with spreading tips. The tube has a warty base and is white inside. The labellum is about long, about wide and completely enclosed in the tube. Flowering occurs from September to October but the flowers are

self-pollinating Self-pollination is a form of pollination in which pollen from the same plant arrives at the stigma of a flower (in flowering plants) or at the ovule (in gymnosperms). There are two types of self-pollination: in autogamy, pollen is transferred to ...

and short-lived.

Taxonomy and naming

''Gastrodia crebriflora'' was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected on the Blackdown Tableland in 1988. The description was published in ''Australian Orchid Research''. 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 ...

(''crebriflora'') 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 ...

words ''creber'' meaning "thick", "close" or "numerous" and ''flos'' meaning "flower", referring to the many crowded flowers on this orchid.

Distribution and habitat

The dense potato orchid grows in loose groups in tall forest on the Blackdown Tableland.

Conservation

This orchid is classed as "vulnerable" under the Queensland Government

Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15477787 crebriflora Plants described in 1991 Terrestrial orchids Orchids of Queensland