''Mobilabium hamatum'', commonly known as hook-leaf,
is the only species in the
genus ''Mobilabium'' from the orchid
family,
Orchidaceae. It is an
epiphytic
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
orchid with between three and twelve stiff, oblong leaves with a hooked tip. There are up to fifteen star-shaped, cream-coloured, pale green or brownish flowers with red or purple markings. The
labellum has three lobes with the middle lobe hollow and containing sticky nectar. It mainly grows on rainforest trees at higher altitudes and is found in
tropical North Queensland.
Description
''Mobilabium hamatum'' is an epiphytic
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 many stiff roots and upright or hanging stems long. Each stem has between three and fifteen stiff, oblong, yellowish green leaves long and wide with a hooked tip. Between five and fifteen cream-coloured, pale green or brownish flowers with brownish or purplish markings, long and wide are borne on flowering stems long. The
sepals 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 spread widely apart from each other, the sepals about long and wide, the petals slightly shorter and narrower. There is a hinge between 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. ...
and the labellum, the latter with three lobes. The middle lobe is rounded and hollow, containing sticky nectar. Flowering occurs from July to August.
Taxonomy and naming
''Mobilabium hamatum'' was first formally described in 1946 by
Herman Rupp
Herman Montague Rucker Rupp (27 December 1872 – 2 September 1956) was an Australian clergyman and botanist who specialised in orchids. He was known throughout his life as Montague Rupp (pronounced "Rupe") and in later life as the "Orchid Man".
R ...
and the description was published in ''The North Queensland Naturalist''.
The
type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* Ty ...
specimen was sent to Rupp by
Thomas Edgar Hunt who called it "hookey leaf" and whose brother "R.Hunt" had collected it.
The name ''Mobilabium'' is derived from the
Latin words ''mobilis'' meaning "mobile"
and ''labium'' meaning "lip".
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 ...
(''hamatum'') is a
Latin word meaning "with hooks" or "hooked".
Distribution and habitat
Hook-leaf mostly grows on rainforest trees, sometimes on isolated trees in paddocks and on other plants near streams, at altitudes between . It is found in north
Queensland between the
Cedar Bay National Park
Ngalba Bulal is a national park in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. In 2015, Cedar Bay National Park became the Mangkalba (Cedar Bay) section of the Ngalba Bulal National Park.
Geography
The park is northwest of Brisbane, south o ...
and
Townsville.
See also
*
List of Orchidaceae genera
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q3906423, from2=Q15501784
Endemic orchids of Australia
Orchids of Queensland
Monotypic Epidendroideae genera
Vandeae genera
Aeridinae
Plants described in 1946