Calochilus paludosus
{{Short description|Species of orchid}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Red beard orchid
| image = Beard Orchid Elvina Track.jpg
| image_caption = Calochilus paludosus in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia
| genus = Calochilus
| species = paludosus
| authority = R.Br.{{WCSP | 31762 | Calochilus paludosus}}
| synonyms =
}}
Calochilus paludosus, commonly known as the red beard orchid or red beardie, is a species of orchid native to Australia and New Zealand. It has a single fleshy, light green leaf and up to nine greenish flowers with reddish stripes. The labellum has a dull red or coppery coloured beard and lacks the "eye" spots of other beard orchids.
Description
Calochilus paludosus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single fleshy, light green to yellowish-green, linear to lance-shaped leaf which is {{convert|100-180|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|4-7|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide. Unlike some others in the genus, the leaf is fully developed at flowering time. Up to nine greenish flowers with reddish stripes are borne on a flowering stem {{convert|150-350|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} tall. The dorsal sepal is {{convert|11-15|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|6-8|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide and the lateral sepals are a similar length but broader. The petals are {{convert|5-8|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|4-5|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide. The labellum is flat, {{convert|22-28|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|7-9|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide, with short, reddish calli near its base and a flap-like ridge on each outside edge. The middle section of the labellum has coarse, dull red or coppery coloured hairs up to {{convert|7|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} and the tip has a hairless "tail" {{convert|10-14|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and about {{convert|1|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide. The column lacks the sham "eyes" of most other beard orchids. Flowering occurs from September to January.{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=David L.|title=A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories|date=2006|publisher=New Holland|location=Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.|isbn=1877069124|page =260}}{{cite web|last1=Bernhardt|first1=Peter|title=Calochilus paludosus|url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Calochilus~paludosus|publisher=Royal BotanicGarden Sydney|accessdate=15 February 2018}}{{cite web|title=Calochilus paludosus|url=http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=227|publisher=New Zealand Plant Conservation Network|accessdate=15 February 2018}}Les Robinson – Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, {{ISBN|978-0-7318-1211-0}} page 242
Taxonomy and naming
Calochilus paludosus was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae.{{cite web|title=Calochilus paludosus|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/525455|publisher=APNI|accessdate=15 February 2018}}{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Robert|title=Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802–1805|date=1810|location=London|page=320|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/21871#page/188/mode/1up|accessdate=15 February 2018}} The specific epithet (paludosus) is a Latin word meaning "boggy" or "marshy".{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.|page =586}}
Distribution and habitat
The red beard orchid is widespread in eastern Australia where it grows in heath and open forest, often in wet places but also in drier open forest. It is found in Queensland south from Burleigh Heads, in mostly coastal districts of New South Wales, mostly in the higher rainfall areas of Victoria and in Tasmania but is only known from a single population in South Australia.{{cite web|last1=Jeanes|first1=Jeff|title=Calochilus paludosus|url=https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/063985ba-92cc-4f38-8ec8-a13f3741f3d4|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria|accessdate=16 February 2018}}{{cite web|title=Threatened species profile Calochilus paludosus|url=http://www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/plants_and_animals/threatened_plants/pa-fact-pafactcalochiluspaludosus.pdf|publisher=Government of South Australia Department for Environment and Heritage|accessdate=16 February 2018}} In New Zealand, C. paludosus occurs in the North Island, often near geothermally active ground, and the northern part of the South Island.{{cite web|title=Calochilus paludosus|url=http://www.nativeorchids.co.nz/Species/Calochilus_paludosus.html|publisher=New Zealand Native Orchid Group|accessdate=16 February 2018}}
References
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Category:Orchids of New Zealand