Diuris chrysantha
{{Short description|Species of orchid}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Granite donkey orchid
| image = Diuris chrysantha.jpg
| genus = Diuris
| species = chrysantha
| authority = D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.{{cite web|title=Diuris chrysantha|url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/78879|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=24 June 2023}}
| synonyms =
- Diuris sp. (Jollys Falls J.Loveday 31)
- Diuris sp. aff. chrysantha (North Coast)
- Diuris aurea auct. non Sm.: Bailey, F.M. (1902)
}}
Diuris chrysantha, commonly known as granite donkey orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has one or two leaves and up to seven deep golden to orange-coloured flowers with brown markings and occurs on the ranges and tablelands north from Tamworth to the Darling Downs.
Description
Diuris chrysantha is a tuberous, perennial herb with one or two linear leaves {{convert|120-360|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|4-8|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide and folded lengthwise. Between two and seven deep golden to orange-coloured flowers with brown markings and {{convert|18-20|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide are borne on a flowering stem {{convert|150-320|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} tall. The dorsal sepal is erect, egg-shaped, {{convert|7-9|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|6-7|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide. The lateral sepals are linear to spatula-shaped, {{convert|12-18|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|2-4|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide and turned downwards. The petals are more or less circular in shape, {{convert|6-8|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and wide on a brown stalk {{convert|4-7|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and held ear-like above the rest of the flower. The labellum is {{convert|7-9|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and has three lobes. The centre lobe is heart-shaped to wedge shaped, {{convert|5-7|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|4-6|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide and the side lobes are egg-shaped, {{convert|2.5-4|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|2.5-3|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide. There are two callus ridges {{convert|2-3|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and spreading apart from each other near the mid-line of the labellum. 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=129}}
Taxonomy and naming
Diuris chrysantha was first formally described in 1987 by David Jones and Mark Clements from a specimen collected near Stanthorpe and the description was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland.{{cite web|title=Duiris chrysantha|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/493871|publisher=APNI|accessdate=16 March 2018}} The specific epithet (chrysantha) is derived from the Ancient Greek words chrysos meaning "gold"{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.}}{{rp|203}} and anthos meaning "flower".{{rp|94}}