Diuris orientis
{{Short description|Species of orchid}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Eastern donkey orchid
| image = Diuris orientis - Flickr 003.jpg
| image_caption = D. orientis growing in the Adelaide Hills
| status =
| status_system =
| status_ref =
| genus = Diuris
| species = orientis
| authority = D.L.Jones{{cite web|title=Diuris orientis|url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/117448|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=10 August 2023}}
| synonyms =
}}
Diuris orientis, commonly called the eastern donkey orchid{{cite book |last1=Copeland |first1=Lachlan M. |last2=Backhouse |first2=Gary |title=Guide to Native Orchids of NSW and ACT |pages=200–201 |date=2022 |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |location=Clayton South, Victoria |isbn=9781486313686}} or wallflower donkey orchid,{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=David L.|title=Diuris orientis|url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Diuris~orientis|publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantNET|accessdate=13 September 2016}} is a species of orchid that is endemic to eastern Australia. Like others in the genus Diuris, it has two ear-like petals and is similar to the common donkey orchid (Diuris corymbosa) of Western Australia with which it has been confused. This species is found in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania and its stalk-like petal "claw" is shorter in than those of D. corymbosa.
Description
Diuris orientis is a tuberous, perennial, terrestrial herb, usually growing to a height of {{convert|12-35|cm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}. There are up to three leaves arising from the base of the plant, each leaf linear to narrow lance-shaped, {{convert|10-30|cm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|5-10|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide and channelled.{{cite journal|last1=Jones|first1=David L.|title=A taxonomic review of Diuris in Tasmania|journal=Australian Orchid Research|date=1998|volume=3|pages=77–78}}{{cite web|last1=Jeanes|first1=Jeffrey|title=Diuris orientis|url=https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/e5c8bcab-d6f3-465f-957f-b6cd2d201508|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora|accessdate=13 September 2016}}
There are up to 6 yellow flowers with reddish brown, purplish and mauve markings on a raceme {{convert|8-40|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} high. The dorsal sepal is erect, broadly egg-shaped, {{convert|9-15|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and wide. The lateral sepals are greenish-brown, linear to lance-shaped, {{convert|12-23|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|3-4|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide, project down below the flow and are parallel or sometimes crossed. The petals are erect and spread, ear-like above the flower. They are broadly egg-shaped, {{convert|12-20|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|8-12|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide on a greenish-brown, stalk-like "claw", {{convert|3-6|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}. (The claw in the similar Western Australian Diuris corymbosa is longer.) The labellum is {{convert|10-14|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long and is divided into three lobes. The lateral lobes are narrow egg-shaped to wedge shaped, {{convert|7-11|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|2.5-4|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide, sometimes with a wavy margin. The medial lobe is {{convert|5-8|mm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}, wedge-shaped, strongly folded with a rounded tip. There is a callus near the base of the mid-lobe, consisting of a narrow, yellow ridge. Flowering usually occurs between September and November.File:Diuris orientis labelled.jpg
Taxonomy and naming
Diuris orientis was first formally described in 1998 by David Jones from a specimen collected at Beauty Point in Tasmania. The description was published in Australian Orchid Research.{{cite web|title=Duiris aequalis|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/575571|publisher=APNI|accessdate=13 September 2016}} The specific epithet (orientis) is a Latin word meaning "east",{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.|page =291}} referring to the easterly distribution of this species, compared to other orchids in the Diuris corymbosa complex.
Distribution and habitat
The eastern wallflower orchid is widely distributed in South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. In New South Wales it is only found in the far south east, in and near the Nadgee Nature Reserve. In Victoria it is fairly common in open forest and heath. There is a dramatic increase in the flowering of this species after summer bushfires.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q10267404}}
Category:Orchids of New South Wales
Category:Orchids of Victoria (state)
Category:Orchids of South Australia
Category:Flora of New South Wales