''Calochilus sandrae'', commonly known as the brownish beard orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the higher parts of southern New South Wales. It has a single greenish brown leaf with a reddish base and up to five brownish green flowers with red striations and a labellum with a brownish purple "beard".

Description

''Calochilus sandrae'' is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous,

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 medicinal ...

with an underground tuber and a single greenish brown, linear to lance-shaped leaf long and wide with a reddish base. The leaf is fully developed at flowering time. Up to five brownish green flowers with red striations, long and wide are borne on a flowering stem tall. Individual flowers last for between two and five days. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped to lance-shaped, long and wide. The lateral sepals are a similar length but narrower and spread apart from each other. The

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

s are long, wide, asymmetrically egg-shaped with a small hooked tip. The labellum is flat, long, wide, with short, thick purple calli near its base. The central part of the labellum is covered with purple hairs up to long and there is a glandular tip which is long. The column has two yellowish "eyes" joined by a purplish ridge. Flowering occurs from December to January.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calochilus sandrae'' was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones from a specimen he collected near

Nimmitabel Nimmitabel is a small town in the Monaro region in southeast New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council local government area. At the , Nimmitabel had a population of 320. Etymology Nimmitabel means "the place where man ...

and the description was published in ''Australian Orchid Research''. 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 ...

(''sandrae'') honours Sandra Raelene Jones who discovered the species.

Distribution and habitat

The brownish beard orchid grows in shrubby montane forest between Nimmitabel and the

Wadbilliga National Park Wadbilliga National Park is a national park that is located in high country spanning the Monaro and South Coast regions of south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Location and features Wadbilliga National Park is located southwest of Sydney ...

in New South Wales and in the Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15495282 sandrae Flora of New South Wales Endemic orchids of Australia Plants described in 2006