''Sarcochilus falcatus'', commonly known as the orange blossom orchid, is a small

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 ...

or lithophytic

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 ...

that is

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It has up to eight, leathery leaves with fine teeth on the edges and up to twelve white to cream-coloured flowers with a white labellum that has orange and purple markings.

Description

''Sarcochilus falcatus'' is a small epiphytic or lithophytic herb with a stem long with between three and eight leathery, often curved leaves long and wide with fine teeth on the edges. Between three and twelve white to cream-coloured, fragrant flowers long and wide are arranged on an arching flowering stem long. 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'' ...

s and

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 egg-shaped, spread widely apart from each other and are long and wide. The labellum is white with orange and purple markings, long with three lobes. The side lobes are erect, about long and wide and the middle lobe is short and fleshy. Flowering occurs between June and October.

Taxonomy and naming

''Sarcochilus falcatus'' was first formally described in 1810 by

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

who published the description in '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. It was the first species of '' Sarcochilus'' to be described and is therefore the type species. 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 ...

(''falcatus'') is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word meaning "sickle-shaped" or "curved", referring to the shape of the leaves.

Distribution and habitat

The orange blossom orchid grows on trees but sometimes on rocks, usually in places exposed to air movement, clouds and drizzly weather. It grows in the Cedar Bay National Park in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

and south to the coast and nearby tablelands of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. It rarely occurs in the far north-eastern corner of Victoria.

Ecology

A species of '' Ceratobasidium'' was isolated from a specimen of ''S. falcatus'' collected near Dungog.

Conservation

This orchid is classed as "endangered" in Victoria under the Victorian Government '' Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988''. It is classified as "least concern" (LC) by the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

.Romand-Monnier, F. 2013. ''Sarcochilus falcatus''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T44392876A44545905. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T44392876A44545905.en. Accessed on 19 February 2022.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7423573 falcatus Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of New South Wales Orchids of Queensland Orchids of Victoria (state) Plants described in 1810 Epiphytic orchids Lithophytic orchids