''Corybas dowlingii'', commonly known as red lanterns, is a rare

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of terrestrial

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 ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. It grows in colonies and has a round or heart-shaped leaf and a dark purplish red flower with white patches in the labellum.

Description

''Corybas dowlingii'' is a

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

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 a single round or heart-shaped leaf long and wide. The leaf is dark green on the upper surface and slightly reddish on the lower side. A single erect, dark purplish red flower, long and wide is borne on a stalk long. The dorsal sepal is long, wide and curved. 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 linear, about long and wide, tapered and held horizontally or turned upwards towards the labellum. 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 about long and hidden behind the labellum. The labellum is translucent white with red blotches and tube-shaped near its base. The tube is about long then expanded into a flat area long and wide. There are two whitish spurs about long turning downwards from the base of the labellum. Flowering occurs from June to August.

Taxonomy

''Corybas dowlingii'' was first formally described in 2004 by David Jones from a specimen collected by Bill Dowling on Bulahdelah Mountain. The description was published in ''The Orchadian''. 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 ...

(''dowlingii'') honours the collector of the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

specimen.

Distribution and habitat

Red lanterns grows in gullies in tall forest and is only known from four localities between

Bulahdelah Bulahdelah is a town and locality in the Hunter/Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia in the Mid-Coast Council local government area. At the 2016 census, the locality had a population of 1,424. The main population centre, where ...

, Port Stephens and

Freemans Waterhole Freemans Waterhole is a small town west of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, located along State Route 82 between Cooranbong and Mulbring. It is part of the West Ward of the City of Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is ...

Conservation

This orchid is listed as "endangered" under the New South Wales Government '' Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016''. It is threatened by land clearing and habitat degradation, rubbish dumping and recreational overuse.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15433881 dowlingii Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of New South Wales Plants described in 2004