Leptoceras

Leptoceras menziesii, commonly known as rabbit orchid,[2][3] is a plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae and the only member of the genus Leptoceras. It is a slender plant, usually found in large colonies and which only flowers after fire. The flowers are small, white, pink and red on a stem up to 30 cm (10 in) tall and is endemic to southern Australia. It was one of the first orchids from Western Australia to be described and was given the name Caladenia menziesii, a name still used by some authorities.

Rabbit orchid
Leptoceras menziesii near American River on Kangaroo Island
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Subtribe: Caladeniinae
Genus: Leptoceras
Lindl.
Species:
L. menziesii
Binomial name
Leptoceras menziesii
(R.Br.) Lindl.[1]

Description

The rabbit orchid is a tuberous perennial herb growing to a height of 6–20 cm (2–8 in), sometimes 30 cm (10 in) with one to three flowers. The leaf is glabrous, variable in size and shape but mostly lance-shaped to broadly egg-shaped to oblong, 30–120 mm (1–5 in) long and 5–23 mm (0.2–0.9 in) wide.[4][5][6]

There are one to three small flowers, sometimes all white but more usually white, pink and red. The top sepal at the back of the flower is about 11 mm (0.4 in) long, dark reddish, spoon-shaped and forms a hood over the column. The back of the dorsal sepal has many glandular hairs. The lower, lateral sepals are white or pink, wide in the middle, taper towards both ends and 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long. The petals forming the "ears" are erect, purplish-red, very narrow linear in shape but club-shaped on the ends, 16–30 mm (0.6–1 in) long and have many glandular hairs. The central labellum is white with pink or red markings, egg-shaped to almost circular, about 7 mm (0.3 in) long and has a short claw. The labellum has 2 to 4 rows of calli with large heads. The column is erect with wide wings and pink markings. The species flowers from August to November, much more prolifically after recent bushfires, and delayed in some places until after rainfall.[2][3][4][5][6]

Taxonomy and naming

Caladenia menziesii was one of the first three orchids collected in Western Australia. Archibald Menzies was the collector of the holotype at King George Sound in 1791 during the Vancouver Expedition.[7] It was first formally described by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[8][9] In 1840, John Lindley changed the name to Leptoceras menziesii in The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants.[1][10] Some herbaria continue to use the old name.[5] The specific epithet (menziesii) honours Archibald Menzies.[7]

Distribution and habitat

Rabbit orchid forms colonies using vegetative reproduction in a range of soil types in heath, scrub or forest, mainly in damp areas. It is widely distributed in Victoria, Tasmania, southern South Australia and the south-west of Western Australia.[11]

Conservation

Leptoceras menziesii is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.[12]

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References
  1. "Leptoceras menziesii". APNI. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  2. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. pp. 214–215. ISBN 9780646562322.
  3. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 271. ISBN 9780980296457.
  4. "Leptoceras menziesii". Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. "Caladenia menziesii". Government of South Australia: eflorasa. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  6. Archer, William. "Rabbit orchid - Leptoceras menziesii". Esperance Wildflowers. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  7. Heberle, Ron L. "History of Orchid Collecting in Western Australia, 1791–1971". The Species Orchid Society of Western Australia (Inc). Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  8. "Caladenia menziesii". APNI. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  9. Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae. London. p. 325. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  10. Lindley, John (1840). The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants. Piccadilly, London: Ridgways. p. 416. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  11. "Leptoceras menziesii". Atlas of Living Australia; Biodiversity Information Explorer. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  12. "Leptoceras menziesii". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  • Liddelow, Bob (2006). Guide to Native Orchids of South Western Australia. p. 116. ISBN 0-9587532-4-5.
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