''Calochilus richiae'', commonly known as the bald-tip beard orchid, is a species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to a small area in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. It is a rare species, discovered in 1928 but not seen again until 1968 and its numbers are in decline. It has a single dark green leaf and up to five reddish brown flowers with darker stripes and a labellum with short, spiky, purplish "hairs".

Description

''Calochilus richiae'' is a terrestrial,

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

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 medicina ...

with an underground

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

and a single dark green, linear, channelled leaf long and wide. The leaf is fully developed at flowering time. Up to five reddish brown flowers with darker stripes, long and wide are borne on a flowering stem tall. Individual flowers last for between two and four days. The

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

is egg-shaped, long and wide. The

lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Healthcare *Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle * Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap Phonetics *Lateral co ...

sepals are a similar length but narrower and the

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s are long and wide. The labellum is flat, narrow near its base then egg-shaped, long and wide. Three quarters of the labellum is covered with short, spiky purple calli and the tip tapers to a short "tail". The column has two purple "eyes" connected by a ridge. Flowering occurs in September and October.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calochilus richiae'' was first formally described in 1929 by

William Henry Nicholls William Henry Nicholls (23 July 1885 – 10 March 1951) was an Australian amateur botanist, authority on, and collector of Australian orchids. An accomplished photographer and watercolourist, he contributed almost 100 articles on orchids to ''The ...

from a specimen collected near

Whroo Whroo is a locality in the Shire of Strathbogie and Shire of Campaspe, Victoria, Australia,.. The locality includes the Whroo Historical Area state reserve. History The first inhabitants of the area were the Ngooraialum people. The first Europea ...

and the description was published in ''

The Victorian Naturalist ''The Victorian Naturalist'' is a bimonthly scientific journal covering natural history, especially of Australia. It is published by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and is received as part of the membership subscription of that club. From ...

''. 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 ...

(''richiae'') honour Mrs. Edith Rich who discovered the species. Nicholls published the name ''Calochilus richii'', Australian authorities currently use the spelling ''Calochilus richiae''.

Distribution and habitat

The bald-tip beard orchid grows in hilly open forest. It is only known from a single population of fewer than twenty plants near Rushworth.

Ecology

This orchid is pollinated by male scoliid wasps from the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

Campsomeris ''Campsomeris'' is a Neotropical genus of the family Scoliidae, also known as the scoliid wasps. They are generally parasites of beetle larvae, most often of Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 ...

'' when they attempt to copulate with the labellum. The capsules mature five to eight weeks later. This orchid reproduces only from seed.

Conservation

This orchid was first discovered in 1928 but was not seen again until 1968. About 23 plants were seen in flower in 1980 but the numbers have declined since then to between none and four plants in flower between 1998 and 2004. The species is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government ''

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...

'' and the Victorian Government ''

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

''. The main threats to the species are grazing by native herbivores, habitat disturbance as a result of illegal rubbish dumping, illegal firewood collection and illegal collecting of the flowers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15495003 richiae Flora of New South Wales Endemic orchids of Australia Plants described in 1929