About
The oak orchid is an epiphyte or lithophyte endemic to far north Queensland. Spindle-shaped pseudobulbs bear a few leathery leaves and long sprays of up to 35 fragrant, star-like cream or white flowers.
Field notes
Morphology
Dark brownish-green pseudobulbs 20–50 cm long, tapered at both ends, carry two to seven thin, leathery dark green leaves 6–15 cm long. A flowering stem 20–35 cm long holds ten to thirty-five crowded, fragrant cream or white flowers about 2 cm wide with pointed segments and a purple-marked white lip.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to far north Queensland, Australia, between Iron Range National Park and Paluma, in rainforest and open forest. The variety magnificum grows at higher altitudes in the south of the range.
Ecology
Often grows on she-oaks (Casuarina).
History & etymology
Described in 1901 by Alfred Barton Rendle in the Journal of Botany from a specimen collected by Arthur Owen Jones, who is honoured in the name.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Australia
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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