Vrydagzynea elongata

Vrydagzynea elongata, commonly known as the tonsil orchid,[2] is a species of orchid that is native to New Guinea, the Maluku Islands and far north Queensland. It has between four and seven dark green, egg-shaped leaves and a large number of white resupinate flowers which barely open.

Tonsil orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Subtribe: Goodyerinae
Genus: Vrydagzynea
Species:
V. elongata
Binomial name
Vrydagzynea elongata
Blume[1]
Synonyms[1]

Description

Vrydagzynea elongata is a tuberous, perennial herb with between five and seven glossy dark green, egg-shaped leaves, 30–60 mm (1–2 in) long and about 20 mm (0.8 in) wide with wavy edges and arranged in a loose rosette. A large number of resupinate, tube-shaped white flowers about 4 mm (0.2 in) long and which barely open are crowded on a rachis 17–30 mm (0.7–1 in) long. The dorsal sepal and petals overlap and form a hood over the column. The labellum is heart-shaped, about 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long, 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and has a spur with two, more or less spherical, stalked glands about 1 mm (0.04 in) long. Flowering occurs in most months.[2][3]

in 2004, David Jones and Mark Clements described Vrydagzynea grayi from a specimen collected by Bruce Gray in part of what is now the Daintree National Park and the description was published in The Orchadian.[4] The name V. grayi is now regarded as a synonym of V. elongata.[1][5]

Taxonomy and naming

Vrydagzynea elongata was first formally described in 1858 by Carl Ludwig Blume from specimens collected in New Guinea in 1841. The description was published in his books Flora Javae et insularum adjacentium and Collection des orchidées les plus remarquables de l'Archipel indien et du Japon in the same year.[1][6][7][8]

Distribution and habitat

The tonsil orchid grows in forest including rainforest and forests in swamps near river mouths, and occurs in the Maluku Islands, New Guinea and in the Mossman to Daintree areas of far north Queensland.[5]

References
  1. "Vrydagzynea elongata". 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. 351. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. "Vrydagzynea elongata". Orchids of New Guinea. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  4. "Vrydagzynea grayi". APNI. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  5. Gray, Bruce; Ormerod, Paul A. (2018). "Vrydagzynea albostriata Schltr. (Orchidaceae) – new to the flora of Australia, with notes on the identity of V. grayi". Austrobaileya. 10 (2): 274–280. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  6. "Vrydagzynea elongata". APNI. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  7. Blume, Carl Ludwig (1858). Flora Javae et insularum adjacentium nova series. Leiden, The Netherlands: Lugduni Batavorum. p. 61. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  8. Blume, Carl Ludwig (1858). Collection des orchidées les plus remarquables de l'Archipel Indien et du Japon. Amsterdam: C.G. Sulpke. p. 74. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
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