Chiloglottis formicifera
{{Short description|Species of orchid}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Common ant orchid
| image = Ant Orchid - Chiloglottis formicifera (8630715290).jpg
| image_caption =
| status =
| status_system =
| taxon = Chiloglottis formicifera
| authority = Fitzg.{{WCSP | 38971 | Chiloglottis formicifera }}
| synonyms =
}}
Chiloglottis formicifera, commonly known as the common ant orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has two broad leaves and a single narrow, greenish or reddish flower with a black, ant-like callus covering most of the upper surface of the labellum. There is a single record of this species from New Zealand.
Description
Chiloglottis formicifera is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with two leaves {{convert|30-60|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|15-25|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide. A single greenish or reddish flower {{convert|12-16|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|6-8|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide is borne on a flowering stem {{convert|60-100|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} high. The dorsal sepal is spatula-shaped, {{convert|10-12.5|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and about {{convert|3|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide. The lateral sepals are {{convert|9-10|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long, about {{convert|0.7|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide and erect at the base then curve downwards. There is a glandular tip about {{convert|0.5|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long on the end of all three sepals. The petals are lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, {{convert|8-10|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, about {{convert|3|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide and turned strongly downwards. The labellum is diamond-shaped, {{convert|7-10|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|6-7.5|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide with a narrow, shiny black, ant-like callus covering most of its upper surface. Flowering occurs from August to November.{{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 =141}}{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=David L.|title=Chiloglottis formicifera|url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Chiloglottis~formicifera|publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Sydney|accessdate=20 April 2018}}
Taxonomy and naming
Chiloglottis formicifera was first formally described in 1877 by Robert D. FitzGerald and the description was published in his book Australian Orchids from a specimen collected "in a gully at the Kurrajong".{{cite web|title=Chiloglottis formicifera|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/471548|publisher=APNI|accessdate=20 April 2018}} The specific epithet (formicifera) is derived from the Latin word formica meaning "ant"{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.}}{{rp|93}} with the suffix -fera meaning "bear", "carry" or "have".{{rp|187}}
Distribution and habitat
The common ant orchid grows in moist places in forest between the Northern Tablelands and Nowra. There is a single historical record from Kaitaia in New Zealand.{{cite web|last1=de Lange|first1=Peter J.|title=Chiloglottis formicifera|url=http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=2362|publisher=New Zealand Plant Conservation Network|accessdate=20 April 2018}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons-inline|Chiloglottis formicifera|Chiloglottis formicifera}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q15495723}}