Spurred helmet orchid (Corybas aconitiflorus)
Description
Corybas aconitiflorus is a species of terrestrial orchid native to eastern Australia, from south-east Queensland to Tasmania. The small flowers have a hooded appearance as the uppermost sepal hides most of the rest of the flower. It is the type species of the genus Corybas. Corybas aconitiflorus grows from a pair of small tubers, to which it dies down in the dormant season. The stems are short and upright, with generally a single flat, smooth, basal leaf. The single flower is small. The hooded uppermost (dorsal) sepal covers and hides most of the rest of the flower. The remaining sepals and the lateral petals are similar in appearance. The lower petal, the lip or labellum, is much smaller than the other petals and sepals. It is undivided with its margins turned inwards. The thin column is wider at the base and has fused wings along its body. There are terminal persistent pollen masses (pollinia), cream in colour, are fixed directly to the viscidia (sticky pads which adhere to pollinators). Little is known about the pollination mechanism of this species, because the flower is hidden by the dorsal sepal and the species is difficult to cultivate. Corybas aconitiflorus was first formally described by Richard Salisbury in The Paradisus Londinensis in 1807, where it was illustrated by William Hooker. This was also the source of the genus name Corybas. Both the genus name and the specific epithet refer to the shape of the flower. Corybas is derived from the Greek κορύβαντος (korybantos), a male dancer who worshipped the goddess Cybele, shown in illustrations wearing a crested helmet. The specific epithet aconitiflorus means "with a flower like Aconitum (monkshood)". In 2002, David Jones, Mark Clements and others proposed splitting Corybas into eight smaller genera including Corybas, Anzybas, Corysanthes and Nematoceras. However, because Corybas aconitiflorus is the type species of the genus, it will remain in Corybas.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Asparagales
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Family: Orchidaceae
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Genus: Corybas
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