Gastrodia entomogama

Gastrodia entomogama, commonly known as the Brindabella potato orchid,[2] is a leafless terrestrial mycotrophic orchid in the family Orchidaceae. It has a dark brown or blackish flowering stem with up to sixty brown, warty, tube-shaped flowers. It is only known for certain from the Australian Capital Territory.

Brindabella potato orchid
Gastrodia entomogama in the Namadgi National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Gastrodieae
Genus: Gastrodia
Species:
G. entomogama
Binomial name
Gastrodia entomogama

Description

Gastrodia entomogama is a leafless terrestrial, mycotrophic herb that has a thick, fleshy, brittle, dark brown to blackish flowering stem bearing between five and sixty light brown to dark brown, tube-shaped flowers that are rough and warty outside and white inside. The sepals and petals are joined, forming a tube 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long. The petals have irregular or wavy edges. The labellum is 14–17 mm (0.6–0.7 in) long, 6.5–8 mm (0.26–0.31 in) wide and white with orange-coloured edges. Flowering occurs from December to January but the flowers are self-pollinating.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Gastrodia entomogama was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen he collected on Mount Franklin in 1990. The description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[4] The specific epithet (entomogama) is derived from the Ancient Greek words entomon meaning "insect"[5]:439 and gamos meaning "marriage" or "union",[5]:361 referring to the flowers originally being described as insect-pollinated.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The Brindabella potato orchid grows with shrubs and grasses in forest. It is only known for certain from a few locations in the Australian Capital Territory.[2][3]

References
  1. "Gastrodia entomogama". 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. 371–372. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. David L., Jones (1991). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 2: 63.
  4. "Gastrodia entomogama". APNI. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
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