''Leporella fimbriata'', commonly known as ''hare orchid'' or ''fringed hare orchid'', is the only species in the
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
''Leporella'' in the orchid
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
,
Orchidaceae
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 ...
and is endemic to the southern
Australia mainland. It is related to orchids in the genus ''
Caladenia'' but has an unusual
labellum and does not have hairy leaves. Its pollination mechanism is also unusual.
Description
''Leporella fimbriata'' is a terrestrial,
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 wid ...
,
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
,
sympodial
Sympodial growth is a bifurcating branching pattern where one branch develops more strongly than the other, resulting in the stronger branches forming the primary shoot and the weaker branches appearing laterally. A sympodium, also referred to a ...
herb with a few inconspicuous, fine roots and an oval-shaped
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 growin ...
lacking a protective
sheath. The tuber produces two "droppers" which become the daughter tubers in the following year. Unlike those in some other orchids, the droppers are produced well away from the parent tuber at the end of long, root-like
stolons. There are one or two egg-shaped to lance-shaped,
glabrous
Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...
leaves at the base of the stem. The leaves are often small when the orchid flowers, but increase in size to long and wide, turning bluish-green with reddish veins as they mature.
There are up to three
resupinate flowers on the end of a wiry stem high. The flowers are long and wide. The
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
* Dorsal c ...
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 coine ...
is dished, long and curves over the
labellum. The two
lateral
Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
Healthcare
*Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction
* Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle
* Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap
Phonetics
*Lateral co ...
sepals are about the same length but very narrow and turned back against the ovary. As is usual in orchids, one
petal is highly modified as the central labellum. The other two petals are erect, long, narrow, linear in shape but with a club-like end which has many
glandular
In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland).
Structure
De ...
hairs. The labellum is about long and wide, hairy and greenish with reddish-brown spots and a comb-like fringe. There are no obvious
calli on the labellum. The sexual parts of the flower are fused to the
column, which has wing-like structures on its sides. Flowering occurs from March to June but the remains of the flower are often recognisable as late as September. The fruit is a non-fleshy, glabrous,
dehiscent capsule containing a large number of seeds.
Taxonomy and naming
This orchid was first formally described in 1840 by
John Lindley who gave it the name ''Leptoceras fimbriata'' and published the description in ''
A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony''.
In 1971,
Alex George described the genus ''Leporella'' and included this species.
The genus name ''"Leporella"'' 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 ''lepus'' meaning "hare"
with the diminutive suffix meaning ''-ella'', hence "leporella" meaning "little hare".
The
specific epithet "fimbriata" is a
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 meaning "fringed".
Distribution and habitat
''Leporella fimbriata'' usually grows in woodland or shrubland but is also found in heath and near areas that are swampy in winter. It is found in the western half of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, and across southern
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
to southern
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 ...
.
In Western Australia it occurs between
Shark Bay in the north and
Israelite Bay on the south coast.
In South Australia, in the south-east, especially the
Yorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Str ...
and
Eyre Peninsula
The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north.
Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named af ...
,
and in the south-west of Victoria, including the
Anglesea area and outer
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
suburbs.
Ecology
This orchid is a
myrmecophyte
Myrmecophytes (; literally "ant-plant") are plants that live in a mutualistic association with a colony of ants. There are over 100 different genera of myrmecophytes. These plants possess structural adaptations that provide ants with food and ...
and is
pollinate
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...
d by a male
bull-ant (''
Myrmecia urens'', Family
Formicidae) when the ant attempts to
copulate
Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetr ...
with the labellum.
See also
*
List of Orchidaceae genera
This is a list of genera in the orchid family ( Orchidaceae), originally according tThe Families of Flowering Plants- L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz. This list is adapted regularly with the changes published in the ''Orchid Research Newsletter'' whi ...
*
List of the orchids of Western Australia
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1309329, from2=Q10557739
Megastylidinae
Monotypic Orchidoideae genera
Diurideae genera
Orchids of Victoria (Australia)
Orchids of South Australia
Orchids of Western Australia
Myrmecophytes