''Earina mucronata'' is species of plant

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 New Zealand. 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 ...

means "pointed" and refers to the shape of the tips of this orchid's very narrow leaves. The leaves are arranged alternately in one plane along a flattened, unbranched

pseudobulb In botany, a pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed ''heter ...

which can grow up to 1 m in length but which is generally shorter. As in most

Monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are flowering plants whose seeds contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. A monocot taxon has been in use for several decades, but with various ranks ...

s the base of each leaf is extended into a

leaf sheath A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...

which completely encircles the stem, in this species they are greatly elongated and extend the full length of the internode. The sheaths are 2 or 3 mm wide and in contrast to those of '' E. autumnalis'' they are difficult to pull off. Another key distinguishing feature of this species are the tiny, ubiquitous black spots which cover the leaf sheaths as well as many of the leaves themselves - these are notably absent in ''autumnalis''. This species flowers during spring and early summer; the peak months are from October to December. The flowers are produced en-masse on a branched

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

. The

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'' ...

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 and

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 ...

are usually white or cream, and the labellum is usually yellow, though white, apricot and orange coloured forms are sometimes encountered. ''Earina mucronata'' is generally

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another 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 epiphyt ...

but occasionally grows as a

lithophyte 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 ...

. Its distribution extends across the 3 main islands of New Zealand (the third being

Stewart Island / Rakiura Stewart Island (, 'Aurora, glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island wit ...

) and eastwards to the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...

References

* ''Native orchids of New Zealand'', John Johns and Brian Molloy, Reed, 1983 * ''Flora of New Zealand, volume 1'', H. H. Allan, Government printer, 1961 * ''Biology of plants (7th edition)'', Raven, Evert and Eichhorn, Freeman, 2005

External links

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Picture and description
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5325682 mucronata Endemic orchids of New Zealand Epiphytic orchids