''Tropidia viridifusca'', commonly known as the dark crown orchid, is an evergreen, terrestrial plant with thin, pleated, dark green leaves on a thin, upright stem with up to seven green and brown flowers crowded on a short flowering stem on top. It is only known from three

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

near

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 ...

Description

''Tropidia viridifusca'' is an evergreen, terrestrial

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 thin but tough, upright stems tall with between four and seven thin, pleated, dark green leaves long and wide. The leaves have three prominent veins. Above the leaves is a flowering stem about long with between two and seven green and brown flowers. The flowers open widely and are long and wide. The sepal are long and wide with the lateral sepals spreading 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 long and wide. The labellum is long, about wide and brown to almost black with a thick pouch at its base. Flowering occurs between December and January.

Taxonomy and naming

''Tropidia viridifusca'' was first formally described in 1929 by Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Kraenzlin and the description was published in '' Vierteljahrsschrift der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zürich''. 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 ...

(''viridifusca'') is derived from the Latin words ''viridis'' meaning "green" and ''fuscus'' meaning "dusky" or "tawny".

Distribution and habitat

The dark crown is only known from

Grande Terre Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to: Places *Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany *Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas *Grande-Rivière (disambiguation) *Arroio ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

, Vanuatu and

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

where it grows on slopes in shady forest.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15472392 viridifusca Plants described in 1929 Terrestrial orchids Orchids of Australia Orchids of Oceania