''Octarrhena pusilla'', commonly known as the wispy grub orchid, 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 ...

lithophytic Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are als ...

plant in the

orchid 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 ...

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 ...

. It has thin roots, usually only a single stem, between three and six fleshy, cylindrical leaves and up to twenty small, white to cream-coloured flowers. This orchid is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to tropical North Queensland, Australia.

Description

''Octarrhena pusilla'' is an epiphytic or lithophytic

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 ...

usually with a single stem with thin roots. The shoot has between three and six fleshy, cylindrical, green to yellowish green leaves long and wide with their bases overlapping. Between five and twenty white to cream-coloured, non-resupinate flowers about long and wide are borne on a thread-like flowering stem long. 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 egg-shaped, spread widely apart from each other, the sepals about long, the petals much smaller than the sepals. The labellum is about long and wide with obscure lobes. Flowering occurs between September and November.

Taxonomy and naming

The wispy grub orchid was first formally described in 1889 by Frederick Manson Bailey who gave it the name ''Oberonia pusilla'' and published the description in ''Report of the government scientific expedition to Bellenden-Ker Range: upon the flora and fauna of that part of the Colony''. In 1992 Mark Clements and David Jones changed the name to ''Octarrhena pusilla''. 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 ...

(''pusilla'') 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 "very small", "little" or "petty".

Distribution and habitat

The wispy grub orchid grows on mossy trees and rocks in rainforest between the Cedar Bay and Paluma Range National Parks 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_ ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15476910 pusilla Endemic orchids of Australia Plants described in 1889 Orchids of Queensland