Eriochilus scaber

Eriochilus scaber is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has a single leaf and up to three small red, pink and white flowers. Two subspecies are recognised based on the shape of the leaf and its height above the ground.

Eriochilus scaber
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Eriochilus
Species:
E. scaber
Binomial name
Eriochilus scaber

Description

Eriochilus scaber is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single glabrous, yellowish green leaf which is egg-shaped to almost round. Up to three red, pink and white flowers, about 10 mm (0.4 in) long and wide are borne on a thin green stem, 70–150 mm (3–6 in) tall. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide. The lateral sepals are broadly lance-shaped, 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long, 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide and hairy on the lower side. The petals are narrow spatula-shaped, 5–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and held close to the dorsal sepal. The labellum is 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, about 3 mm (0.1 in) wide and has three lobes. The middle lobe is 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.14 in) long and is fleshy with red bristles. Flowering occurs from July to September.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Eriochilus scaber was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley and the description was published in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.[6] The specific epithet (scaber) is a Latin word meaning "rough" or "scurfy",[7] referring to the surface of the labellum.[4]

There are two subspecies:

  • Eriochilus scaber subsp. scaber,[8] commonly known as the pink bunny orchid,[4] which has a more or less erect, egg-shaped leaf held 2–12 mm (0.08–0.5 in) above the ground;
  • Eriochilus scaber subsp. orbifolius,[9] commonly known as the round-leafed bunny orchid,[4] which has an almost circular leaf held close to the ground.[3]

Distribution and habitat

This bunny orchid grows in winter-wet areas between Jurien Bay and the Cape Arid National Park. Subspecies orbifolius is restricted to a small area of old sand dunes near Walpole.[3][4][5][10][11]

Conservation

Eriochilus scaber subsp. scaber is classified as "not threatened"[10] but subspecies orbifolius is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[11] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.[12]</ref>

References
  1. "Eriochilus pulchellus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. pp. 277–278. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. Hopper, Stephen; Brown, Andrew Phillip (2006). "New and reinstated taxa in Eriochilus" (PDF). Nuytsia. 16 (1): 49–54. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  4. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 264. ISBN 9780980296457.
  5. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 231. ISBN 9780646562322.
  6. "Eriochilus scaber". APNI. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 670.
  8. "Eriochilus scaber subsp. scaber". APNI. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  9. "Eriochilus scaber subsp. orbifolius". APNI. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  10. "Eriochilus scaber subsp. scaber". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  11. "Eriochilus scaber subsp. orbifolius". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  12. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
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