''Chiloglottis platyptera'', commonly known as the winged ant orchid or Barrington Tops ant 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. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the New England Tableland of New South Wales. It has two broad leaves and a single greenish brown flower with a

callus A callus (: calluses) is an area of thickened and sometimes hardened skin that forms as a response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on the feet and hands, b ...

of many

glands A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...

covering most of the top of the labellum.

Description

''Chiloglottis platyptera'' is a terrestrial,

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

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 Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

with two elliptic to oblong leaves long and wide on a petiole long. A single greenish brown flower long and wide is borne on a flowering stem high. 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 The fus ...

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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

spatula A spatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift material including foods, drugs, plaster and paints. In medical applications, "spatula" may also be used synonymously with tongue depressor. The word ''spatula'' derives ...

-shaped, more or less erect, about long and wide. The

lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may also refer to: Biology and healthcare * Lateral (anatomy), a term of location meaning "towards the side" * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle, an intrinsic muscle of the larynx * Lateral release ( ...

sepals are linear, long, about wide, spread apart from each other and curve downwards. There is a

glandular A gland is a cell or an organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also function to remove unwanted substance ...

tip less than long on all three sepals. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, about long, wide, slightly curved and turned down against the sides of the

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

. The labellum is shaped like a bricklayer's

trowel A trowel is a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel. A power trowel is a much larger ga ...

with the narrower end towards the base. It is long, about wide and most of the upper surface of the labellum is covered with a callus of many short reddish, yellowish, bright green or black glands, the one nearest the base of the labellum about long and shaped like handlebars. The

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

is pale green with purple streaks, about long, wide with broad wings. Flowering occurs from September to November.

Taxonomy and naming

''Chiloglottis platyptera'' was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected in Barrington Tops National Park and the description was published in ''Australian Orchid Research''. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

(''platyptera'') is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

words ''platys'' meaning "broad, wide, flat (or) level" and ''pteron'' meaning "feather" or "wing", referring to the brown wings on the column of this orchid.

Distribution and habitat

The winged ant orchid grows with grass in tall forest and on the edges of rainforest between Dungog and Yarrowitch, including in the Barrington Tops, Oxley Wild Rivers and Ben Halls Gap National Parks.

Conservation

''Chiloglottis platyptera'' is listed as "vulnerable" under the New South Wales Government '' Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016''. The main threats to the species are grazing by domestic stock, weed invasion (especially by scotch broom), the activities of feral pigs and land clearing.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15496541 platyptera Orchids of New South Wales Plants described in 1991 Taxa named by David L. Jones (botanist)