Kingdom Plantae Family Orchidaceae Genus Dendrobium | Order Asparagales Tribe Dendrobieae Rank Species | |
Dendrobium brachypus, commonly known as the Norfolk Island orchid, is a flowering plant in the orchid family. The specific epithet comes from the Greek brachys (“short”) and podos (“foot”), alluding to the relatively short pseudobulb, in contrast to that of Dendrobium macropus described by Endlicher at the same time.
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Description
It is an epiphytic orchid with grouped pseudobulbs growing to 2–5 cm in height. The terminal, ovate-elliptic leaves are 10–12 mm long and 5–10 mm wide. The peloric flowers are pale cream and borne on terminal, 2- or 3-flowered inflorescences.
Distribution and habitat
The species is endemic to the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea, where it occurs in forest on the slopes of Mount Pitt. It is rare and listed as endangered under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).