''Genoplesium filiforme'', commonly known as the glandular midge orchid, is a small terrestrial orchid endemic to the east coast of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It has a single thin leaf and up to thirty greenish to purple flowers with a reddish-purple labellum. The edges of its flower parts are covered with many short glandular hairs. It is found from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales.

Description

''Genoplesium filiforme'' is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous,

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 an underground tuber and a single thin leaf long with the free part long. Between five and thirty greenish to purple flowers are arranged along a flowering stem tall. The flowers are long, wide and as with others in the genus, are inverted so that the labellum is above the

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, long, about wide and pointed with short hairs on its edges. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, long, about wide and spread widely apart from 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 narrow egg-shaped, about long and wide and also have hairs on their edges. The labellum is egg-shaped with the narrower end towards its base, long, about wide with short hairs on its edges. There is an oblong callus in the centre of the labellum and extending three-quarters of the length of the labellum. Flowering occurs between February and May.

Taxonomy and naming

The glandular leek orchid was first formally described in 1885 by

Robert D. FitzGerald Robert David FitzGerald (or possibly Robert Desmond FitzGerald) (30 November 1830 – 12 August 1892) was an Irish-Australian surveyor, ornithologist, botanist and poet. Whilst working as a public servant FitzGerald's private passion and ability ...

who gave it the name ''Prasophyllum filiforme'' and published the description in '' Journal of Botany, British and Foreign''. In 1989, David Jones and Mark Clements changed the name to ''Genoplesium filiforme'' and in 2002 changed the name again to ''Corunastylis filiformis'' but the last change is not accepted by the Australian Plant Census.

Distribution and habitat

''Genoplesium filiforme'' grows in forest, heath and moss gardens over sandstone in near-coastal areas. It is found between Nowra in New South Wales and Helidon in Queensland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15464564 filiforme Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of New South Wales Orchids of Queensland Plants described in 1885