Diuris oraria
{{Short description|Species of orchid}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Northern coastal donkey orchid
| image = Diuris oraria.jpg
| image_caption = Near Kalbarri
| status =
| status_system =
| status_ref =
| genus = Diuris
| species = oraria
| authority = D.L.Jones & C.J.French{{cite web|title=Diuris oraria|url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/196830|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=3 August 2023}}
}}
Diuris oraria, commonly known as northern coastal donkey orchid,{{FloraBase|name=Diuris oraria|id=46853}} is a species of orchid that is endemic to a small area of the north coast of Western Australia. It has two or three linear to lance-shaped leaves and up to four yellow flowers with reddish-brown and purple markings.
Description
Diuris oraria is a tuberous, perennial herb with two or three linear leaves {{cvt|100–150|mm}} long and {{cvt|5–10|mm}} wide. Up to four yellow flowers with brown and reddish-brown and purple markings, {{cvt|25–30|mm}} long and {{cvt|20–25|mm}} wide are borne on a flowering stem {{cvt|150–300|mm}} tall. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, {{cvt|7–10|mm}} long and {{cvt|12–15|mm}} wide, the lateral sepals narrowly oblong, parallel or crossed, {{cvt|13–18|mm}} long and {{cvt|2.5–3.0|mm}} wide. The petals are broadly elliptic to round, {{cvt|12–16|mm}} long and {{cvt|9–13|mm}} wide on a stalk {{cvt|3–4|mm}} long. The labellum is {{cvt|7–10|mm}} long with three lobes - the centre lobe broadly wedge-shaped, {{cvt|7–9|mm}} long and wide, the side lobes spread widely apart and oblong, {{cvt|7–9|mm}} long and {{cvt|4–6|mm}} wide. There is a single smooth, yellow callus ridge {{cvt|3–4|mm}} long, along the mid-line of the labellum. Flowering occurs from late July to late August.{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Andrew|last2=Dixon|first2=Kingsley|last3=French|first3=Christopher|last4=Hopper|first4=Stephen|title=Orchids of Western Australia|date=2008|publisher=University of Western Australia Press|location=Crawley, Western Australia|isbn=9780980348149|page=218}}{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=David L. |last2=French |first2=Christopher J. |title=Eight new species in the Diuris corymbosa Lindley complex (Orchidaceae) from Western Australia. |journal=Australian Orchid Review |date=2016 |volume=81 |issue=2 |page=48–49 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/310751#page/50/mode/1up |access-date=3 August 2023}}
Taxonomy and naming
Diuris oraria was first formally described in 2016 by David Jones and Christopher J. French in Australian Orchid Review, from a specimen collected by French near the western end of the State Barrier Fence in 1999.{{cite web|title=Duiris oraria|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/6379376|publisher=APNI|accessdate=3 August 2023}} The specific epithet (oraria) means "of the coast", referring to the coastal or near-coastal distribution of this species.{{cite book |last1=Sharr |first1=Francis Aubi |last2=George |first2=Alex |title=Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings |date=2019 |publisher=Four Gables Press |location=Kardinya, WA |isbn=9780958034180 |page=266 |edition=3rd}}
Distribution and habitat
Northern coastal donkey orchid grows in coastal and near-coastal areas on shallow sand over limestone from south of Kalbarri to north of the Zuytdorp Cliffs in the Geraldton Sandplains and Yalgoo bioregions of Western Australia.
Conservation
Diuris oraria is listed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.