''Dendrobium brevicaudum'', commonly known as the Mount Finnigan pencil orchid, is an

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

lithophytic Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are als ...

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 ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Orchidaceae and is

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 elsew ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. It has hanging stems, cylindrical leaves and groups of about six yellowish or orange-brown flowers with red streaks and a white labellum. It is only known from two mountainous areas north of

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

Description

''Dendrobium brevicaudum'' is an epiphytic or lithophytic

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 pendulous stems and leaves. The stems are dark green to yellowish, wide and up to long. The leaves are cylindrical, dark green long and wide. Between five and eight flowers are arranged on a flowering stem long. The flowers are yellowish, brownish or orange-brown, long and wide with red streaks along the centre. The dorsal

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 b ...

is more or less erect, elliptic to egg-shaped, long and wide. The lateral sepals are lance-shaped, curved long and about wide. 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 linear to narrow lance-shaped, long and about wide. The labellum is whitish, long, wide, is covered with short hairs and has three lobes. The side lobes are triangular and upright and the middle lobe is very wavy with three dark red ridges along its midline. Flowering occurs from December to January.

Taxonomy and naming

''Dendrobium brevicaudum'' was first formally described in 1994 by David Jones and Mark Clements from a specimen collected on Mount Finnigan in the

Ngalba Bulal National Park Ngalba Bulal is a national park in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. In 2015, Cedar Bay National Park became the Mangkalba (Cedar Bay) section of the Ngalba Bulal National Park. Geography The park is northwest of Brisbane, south of ...

. 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 ...

(''brevicaudum'') is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

words ''brevis'' meaning "short" and ''cauda'' meaning "tail" referring to the short tip of the labellum.

Distribution and habitat

The Mount Finnigan pencil orchid grows on trees and granite boulders in rainforest and

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

at an elevation of above about on Mount Finnigan and nearby Mount Misery.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15451577 brevicaudum Orchids of Queensland Endemic orchids of Australia Plants described in 1994