''Gastrodia urceolata'', commonly known as white 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, fleshy flowering stem and up to fifty five upright, white to pale brown flowers. It is only known from a single population near Atherton 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_ ...

Description

''Gastrodia urceolata'' 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 slightly shiny, fleshy, pale brown flowering stem tall. There are between ten and fifty upright white flowers which distinguish the species from other gastrodias in Australia. 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, warty tips about long. The labellum is about long, wide with three lobes and completely enclosed in the tube. Flowering occurs from October to December and is followed by upright, urn-shaped capsules long and wide.

Taxonomy and naming

''Gastrodia urceolata'' was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Atherton 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 ...

(''urceolata'') 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 ''urceus'' meaning "pitcher" or "urn" referring to the shape of the capsule.

Distribution and habitat

The white potato orchid is only known from a single population on the

Atherton Tableland The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tina ...

where it grows in forest.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15478316 urceolata Plants described in 1991 Terrestrial orchids Orchids of Queensland