''Genoplesium cuspidatum'' is a species of small 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. 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 eastern Australia. It has a single leaf fused to the flowering stem and between 6 and 28 reddish to dark purple flowers with prominent darker stripes.

Description

''Genoplesium cuspidatum'' 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 an underground

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

and a single leaf long, sheathing the flowering stem with the free part long and wide. Between 6 and 28 reddish to dark purple flowers with prominent darker stripes are arranged along a flowering stem long. The flowers are about in diameter, and as with others in the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

, the flowers are inverted so that the labellum is above 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 ...

rather than below it. 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 is broadly egg-shaped and forms a hood over the column, long, wide and concave. 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 narrowly linear, long, about wide, spread widely apart and lack a humped base. The petals are egg-shaped, long, about wide with long-tapering tip. The labellum is elliptic to spatula-shaped, long, wide, fleshy and curved with purple hairs. There is a tapered, purple

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 ...

covering more than half the base of the labellum and extending nearly to its tip. Flowering occurs from December to March.

Taxonomy and naming

This species of orchid was first formally described in 2017 by David Jones and Lachlan Copeland who gave it the name ''Corunastylis cuspidata'' and published the description in ''

Australian Orchid Review Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

'' from specimens Copland collected west of

Ebor Ebor is the abbreviation of the Latin ''Eboracum'', an early Latin form for York in Britain. It may also mean: * Ebor, the legal alias of the Archbishops of York * Ebor, Manitoba, a community in Canada * Ebor, New South Wales, a village in Australi ...

in 2004. In 2022, Julian Shaw changed the name to ''Genoplesium cuspidatum'' in the journal '' Telopea''. and the name is accepted by

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

. 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 ...

(''cuspidatum'') means "pointed", referring to the long-tapering petals, compared to those of ''

Genoplesium archeri ''Genoplesium archeri'', commonly known as the elfin midge orchid and as ''Corunastylis archeri'' in Australia, is a small terrestrial orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single thin leaf fused to the flowering stem and up to fift ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

''Genoplesium cuspidatum'' grows in moss gardens on granite outcrops and in deeper soils in woodland or open forest. It is only known from several populations north from

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 23,967 as of the 2021 census. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands reg ...

on the

Northern Tablelands The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England regio ...

New South Wales to the southern parts of the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally ...

in south-eastern Queensland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q89007321 cuspidatum Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of New South Wales Plants described in 2017 Taxa named by David L. Jones (botanist)