Common name: Small Butterfly Orchid
Sarcochilus spathulatus R.S.Rogers APNI* Synonyms: Parasarcochilus spathulatus (R.S.Rogers) Dockrill APNI*
Pteroceras spathulatus (R.S.Rogers) Garay APNI*
Description: Semi-pendent epiphyte, usually with 1 shoot; stems 0.5–3 cm long.
Leaves narrow-ovate to narrow-obovate to narrow-oblong, 1.5–7 cm long, 5–17 mm wide, slightly channelled, sometimes spotted.
Inflorescence 2–5 cm long, 1–5-flowered, semi-pendent; rachis usually longer than peduncle; pedicel plus ovary 5–8 mm long. Flowers not campanulate; dorsiventral dimension of flower about equal to lateral dimension. Sepals and lateral petals narrow-oblong, often markedly dilated near the tip, greenish brown. Labellum c. 5 mm long, almost as long as dorsal sepal, glabrous. Column c. 1.5 mm long, about half as long as column foot, set almost at right angles to it.
Flowering: July–October
Distribution and occurrence: Grows on outer branches of trees in gallery rainforest and tree trunks of drier rainforest on hillsides, from near sea level to c. 900 m alt.; north from the Hunter R.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by P. H. Weston
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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