Microtis
Encyclopedia
Microtis is a small genus
in the orchid family
Orchidaceae
.
to Japan
, Australia
(except the Northern Territory), New Zealand
and the south west Pacific, in grassland and scrub.
They are deciduous
, chlorophyllous, sympodial
, tuberoid terrestrial orchids with a single, cylindrical leaf that encloses the stem.
The tiny flower
s are green and arrange in a many-flowered (50 to 100) spiral in a spike or raceme
around the erect and tall central stalk. The lowermost flowers are close the exit of the stalk from the sheating leaf. The dorsal sepal
is sharp-pointed and forms a hood over the column
. The lateral sepals are oblong and sometimes recurved. The dorsal sepal often keeps the oblong petal
s out of sight. The lip
is ovate-oblong with united basal calli. The lobed lip has a rough, irregular margin.
Every flower tends to set seed, after being pollinated by wingless worker ant
s from the genus Iridomyrmex
, attracted by nectar at the base of the lip. This is an exceptional case of pollination
by ants, since ants tend to secrete an antifungal substance that kills pollen. This doesn't seem to affect Microtis pollen.
Microtis orchids are often cryptic and difficult to differentiate. Microtis unifolia seems to have three different groups in New Zealand with different geographical ranges, habitat
s and flowering times.
from wind-born seed.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
in the orchid family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Orchidaceae
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
.
Description
These orchids occur from South ChinaNorthern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(except the Northern Territory), New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the south west Pacific, in grassland and scrub.
They are deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
, chlorophyllous, sympodial
Sympodial
Sympodial means "with conjoined feet", and in biology is often used to refer to the outward morphology or mode of growth of organisms.-In botany:...
, tuberoid terrestrial orchids with a single, cylindrical leaf that encloses the stem.
The tiny flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are green and arrange in a many-flowered (50 to 100) spiral in a spike or raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
around the erect and tall central stalk. The lowermost flowers are close the exit of the stalk from the sheating leaf. The dorsal sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
is sharp-pointed and forms a hood over the column
Column (botany)
The column, or technically the gynostemium, is a reproductive structure that can be found in several plant families: Aristolochiaceae, Orchidaceae, and Stylidiaceae....
. The lateral sepals are oblong and sometimes recurved. The dorsal sepal often keeps the oblong petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s out of sight. The lip
Labellum
Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...
is ovate-oblong with united basal calli. The lobed lip has a rough, irregular margin.
Every flower tends to set seed, after being pollinated by wingless worker ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s from the genus Iridomyrmex
Iridomyrmex
Iridomyrmex is a genus of ants that belongs to the subfamily Dolichoderinae. There are 79 species and subspecies that belong to this genus and they range from India to China to Australia and New Caledonia.-Description:...
, attracted by nectar at the base of the lip. This is an exceptional case of pollination
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
by ants, since ants tend to secrete an antifungal substance that kills pollen. This doesn't seem to affect Microtis pollen.
Microtis orchids are often cryptic and difficult to differentiate. Microtis unifolia seems to have three different groups in New Zealand with different geographical ranges, habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
s and flowering times.
Species
- Microtis alba R.Br. (1810) (SW Australia)
- Microtis angusii D.L.Jones (1996) (New South Wales) (endangered)
- Microtis arenaria Lindl. (1840) : Notched Onion Orchid (Victoria, Tasmania)
- Microtis atrata Lindl. (1840) (SW Australia, Tasmania)
- Microtis brownii Rchb.f. (1871) (SW Australia)
- Microtis densiflora (Benth.) M.A.Clem. (1989) (SW Australia)
- Microtis eremaea R.J.Bates (1996) (SW Australia)
- Microtis familiaris R.J.Bates (1990) (SW Australia)
- Microtis globula R.J.Bates (1984) (SW Australia)
- Microtis graniticola R.J.Bates, (1996) (SW Australia)
- Microtis mediaMicrotis mediaMicrotis media is a herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It is found in Western Australia, and informally known as the Tall - or Common - Mignonette Orchid or Middle-sized Microtis.- Description :...
R.Br. (1810) (SW Australia)- Microtis media eremicola R.J.Bates (1996) (SW Australia)
- Microtis media media (SW Australia)
- Microtis media quadrata R.J.Bates, (1990) (SW Australia)
- Microtis oblonga R.S.Rogers (1923) (SE Australia)
- Microtis oligantha L.B.Moore, (1968) (New Zealand North Island)
- Microtis orbicularis R.S.Rogers (1907) (S. Australia)
- Microtis parvifloraMicrotis parvifloraMicrotis parviflora, the Slender Onion Orchid, is a species of orchid occurring from Malesia to the Southwest Pacific....
R.Br. (1810) : Slender Onion Orchid (Malesia to SW. Pacific) - Microtis pulchella R.Br. (1810) (SW Australia)
- Microtis rara R.Br., Prodr. (1810) (Queensland, New South Wales)
- Microtis unifolia (G.Forst.) Rchb.f. (1871) : Common Onion Orchid (S. China to Japan and SW. Pacific) (abundant)
Cultivation
Most Microtis are very easy to grow, and readily volunteer themselves in other pots. Microtis are often found in gardens around MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
from wind-born seed.