Dendrobium nativitatis
{{Short description|Species of orchid}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
|name= Christmas Island crimp orchid
|image =
|image_caption =
|genus = Dendrobium
|species = nativitatis
|authority = Ridl.{{WCSP |58490 |Dendrobium nativitatis}}
|synonyms_ref = {{ThePlantList|id=kew-58490|taxon=Dendrobium nativitatis|authority=Ridl.|accessdate=5 August 2016}}
|synonyms =
- Dendrobium pectinatum Ridl.
- Ephemerantha pectinata (Ridl.) P.F.Hunt & Summerh.
- Flickingeria nativitatis (Ridl.) J.J.Wood
}}
Dendrobium nativitatis, commonly known as the Christmas Island crimp orchid,{{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|pages =397–398}} is a species of epiphytic orchid that is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. It has long, straggly stems, flattened pseudobulbs, a single leathery leaf and a single pale yellow flower.
Description
Dendrobium nativitatis is an epiphytic herb with straggly, sometimes branching, aerial stems {{convert|150-400|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long. The pseudobulbs are smooth, flattened, pale green, {{convert|25-40|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|7-10|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide. There is a single leathery, narrow elliptic leaf {{convert|50-120|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|10-20|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide on the end of the pseudobulb. A single, pale yellow flower {{convert|8-12|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|12-15|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide develops at the base of the leaf. The sepals are lance-shaped, {{convert|8-10|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|4-5|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide and the petals are {{convert|7-8|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and about {{convert|2|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide. The labellum is {{convert|12-14|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|7-8|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide and has three lobes. The side lobes surround the column and the middle lobe has wavy edges near its base and two wavy ridges along its midline. Flowering occurs sporadically throughout the year and the capsule that follows is elliptical and about {{convert|15|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long.{{cite web |title=Flickingeria nativitatis |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/online-resources/flora/stddisplay.xsql?pnid=55609 |publisher=Flora of Australia online |accessdate=3 December 2018}}
Taxonomy and naming
Dendrobium nativitatis was first formally described in 1907 by Henry Nicholas Ridley and the description was published in Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.{{cite web|title=Dendrobium nativitatis|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/621005|publisher=APNI|accessdate=3 December 2018}}{{cite journal |last1=Ridley |first1=Henry Nicholas |title=Christmas Island flora - additional notes |journal=Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |date=1907 |volume=48 |page=107 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/130727#page/411/mode/1up |accessdate=3 December 2018}}
Ridley had originally described the species in 1906 and given it the name Dendrobium pectinatum, unaware that name had already been used for a different kind of orchid.{{cite journal |last1=Ridley |first1=Henry Nicholas |title=The botany of Christmas Island |journal=Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |date=1906 |volume=45 |page=232 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/130373#page/262/mode/1up|accessdate=3 December 2018}}
The specific epithet (nativitatis) is derived from the Latin word natus meaning "birth",{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.|page=147}} implying the nativity of Christ, or Christmas, referring to the type locality.
Distribution and habitat
The Christmas Island crimp orchid is common in rainforest on the plateau and the high terraces of the island, where it favours Planchonella and Eugenia species as the host trees. It is only known from Christmas Island.
Relationships
This orchid is closely related to Dendrobium aureilobum from Java and Sumatra.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q17270432}}
Category:Endemic flora of Christmas Island
Category:Endemic orchids of Australia