Aphyllorchis queenslandica, or Yellow Pauper Orchid, is a member of the Aphyllorchis

Aphyllorchis

Aphyllorchis, commonly Pauper Orchids, is a genus of 30 species of terrestrial leafless orchids native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia.-List of species:...

genus, commonly Pauper Orchids, a genus of 30 species of terrestrial leafless orchids native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Description

Aphyllorchis queenslandica is a terrestrial orchid up to about 90 cm tall. It is native to Far North Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia, and, possibly, Malaysia, under other names. It ranges from close to sea level up to about 400 m. The plants lack chlorophyll and live as saprophytes

Saprophytes

Saprophytes may refer to*Saprotroph, a term used for organisms which obtain nutrients from dead organic matter...

. Bracts or 'leaves' have 3 longitudinal and parallel veins.

The sepals are about 13 x 2.5 mm. and petals about 11 x 2 mm. The labellum

Labellum

Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...

 is larger, and cream-coloured with purple upturned margins. The column, composed of the stamen

Stamen

The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...

 fused to the style

Gynoecium

Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...

, has a purple base, but is yellow towards the top, and is about 7 x 1.5 mm. The ovary is about 12 x 2 mm, with 6 external longitudinal ribs.
Fruit

The inflorescence

Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

 is about 40-70 cm long, and usually has 6-12 flowers about 20 mm wide on pedicel

Pedicel (botany)

A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....

s about 2-3 mm long.

External links

• Nature's Powerhouse website contains a gallery of Lewis Roberts' botanical illustrations including Aphyllorchis queenslandica
• The "Australian Orchid Name Index" and "Australian Orchidaceae - Current Genera and Species Checklist" may be downloaded here as pdf files
• Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Factsheet: Aphyllorchis queenslandica http://keys.trin.org.au:8080/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Aphyllorchis_queenslandica.htm
• Nature Conservation Act http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/qld/num_reg/ncar12010n92534/s7.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=Aphyllorchis%20queenslandica#disp2