Dendrobium reconditum

Dendrobium reconditum, commonly known as the closed burr orchid,[2] is an epiphytic orchid in the family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Moa Island in the Torres Strait. It has a single thin leaf on a thin stem and a small white, more or less spherical flower that does not open. It grows on rough-barked trees in rainforest.

Closed burr orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Dendrobieae
Genus: Dendrobium
Species:
D. reconditum
Binomial name
Dendrobium reconditum
Schuit. & Peter B.Adams[1]
Synonyms[1]

Description

Dendrobium reconditum is an epiphytic herb that usually forms small clumps. It has a flattened stem, 40–70 mm (2–3 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide with a single thin, dark green leaf 30–70 mm (1.2–2.8 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) wide. There is a single, more or less spherical white flower about 3 mm (0.12 in) in diameter with fleshy tubercles about 1 mm (0.039 in) wide on the ovary. Flowering occurs between January and July but the flower does not open.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

The closed burr orchid was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones and Mark Clements from a specimen collected on Moa Peak on the northern end of Moa Island. It was given the name Cadetia clausa and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[5] In 2011, André Schuiteman and Peter Adams changed the name to Dendrobium reconditum, referring to studies of molecular phylogenetics.[6][7] The specific epithet (reconditum) is a Latin word meaning "hidden" or "concealed",[8] referring to the cleistogamous flowers.[7]

Distribution and habitat

The closed burr orchid grows on rough-barked trees in rainforest on low hills and is only known from Moa Island.[2][4]

References
  1. "Dendrobium reconditum". 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. p. 379. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. Jones, David L.; Clements, Mark A. (2006). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 5: 4.
  4. "Cadetia clausa". Trin keys: Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  5. "Cadetia clausa". Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  6. "Dendrobium reconditum". Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  7. Schuiteman, André; Adams, Peter B. (2011). "New combinations in Dendrobium (Orchidaceae)" (PDF). Muelleria. 29 (1): 62–68. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  8. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 650.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.