Zeuxine polygonoides
Encyclopedia
Zeuxine polygonoides is a terrestrial orchid
belonging to the subfamily Orchidoideae
. It is found in New Guinea
, New Caledonia
, the Solomon Islands
and in north-east Queensland
, Australia
.
at the apex and 2–4 reduced leaves lower down. The upper leaf blades are 30–80 mm long and 12–22 mm wide, tapered to a point, and bronze green to dark velvet green in colour with a broad white stripe along the centre. The inflorescence
is 80–150 mm long, bearing 5–14 loosely arranged flower
s 5–6 mm wide. The three sepal
s are green, the two petals and the labellum
are white. The uppermost sepal is fused with the petals, forming a horizontal hood; the lateral sepals are spreading. In Australia the orchid flowers mainly from June to August.
locations in north-east Queensland between the Paluma Range
and the Daintree River
, at altitudes of 450 to 600 m above sea level, growing on the forest floor. It occurs within the Wet Tropics of Queensland
Natural Resource Management Region. Plants have been collected
in notophyll vine forest, on the tops of granite boulders, flat rocks and the rotting wood of fallen trees.
under both the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
and Queensland’s Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006. It was delisted in August 2010. All known populations lie within protected area
s. Potentially, the main threats to the orchid in Australia are illegal over-collection by orchid enthusiasts
, and from feral pigs
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,...
belonging to the subfamily Orchidoideae
Orchidoideae
The Orchidoideae, or the orchidoid orchids, are a subfamily of the orchid family .They typically contain the orchids with a single , fertile anther which is erect and basitonic....
. It is found in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and in north-east Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, 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...
.
Description
The orchid grows to 150–300 mm in height. The 50–100 mm stem bears 3–5 leavesLeaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
at the apex and 2–4 reduced leaves lower down. The upper leaf blades are 30–80 mm long and 12–22 mm wide, tapered to a point, and bronze green to dark velvet green in colour with a broad white stripe along the centre. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is 80–150 mm long, bearing 5–14 loosely arranged 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 5–6 mm wide. The three 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...
s are green, the two petals and the labellum
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:...
are white. The uppermost sepal is fused with the petals, forming a horizontal hood; the lateral sepals are spreading. In Australia the orchid flowers mainly from June to August.
Distribution and habitat
In Australia the orchid has been recorded from three tropical rainforestTropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
locations in north-east Queensland between the Paluma Range
Paluma Range National Park
Paluma Range is a national park located between Ingham and Townsville, in north Queensland, Australia. The park is 1188 km north of Brisbane. The park contains the Jourama Falls, Crystal Creek and Lake Paluma...
and the Daintree River
Daintree River
The Daintree River runs through the Daintree Rainforest in the Cape Tribulation region of Queensland in northern Australia. It is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Cairns in far north tropical Queensland and drains an area of 2,125 square kilometres. The river, along with the Daintree...
, at altitudes of 450 to 600 m above sea level, growing on the forest floor. It occurs within the Wet Tropics of Queensland
Wet Tropics of Queensland
The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range, stretching from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef...
Natural Resource Management Region. Plants have been collected
Plant collecting
Plant collecting involves procuring live or dried plant specimens, for the purposes of research, cultivation or as a hobby.-Collection of live specimens:...
in notophyll vine forest, on the tops of granite boulders, flat rocks and the rotting wood of fallen trees.
Australia
The orchid was listed as vulnerableVulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
under both the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...
and Queensland’s Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006. It was delisted in August 2010. All known populations lie within protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s. Potentially, the main threats to the orchid in Australia are illegal over-collection by orchid enthusiasts
Orchid hunters
Orchid hunting is the search for orchid plants in the wild. The orchid plants are usually being acquired for the commercial market, where there was, and still is, significant demand for these unusual flowering plants.-The Victorian era:...
, and from feral pigs