Diuris carinata, commonly known as the tall bee orchid,
Description
Diuris carinata is a
,
Perennial plant Herbaceous plant with between four and six erect leaves long and wide. Between two and seven bright yellow flowers with reddish brown markings, about long and wide are borne on a flowering stem tall. The dorsal sepal is angled upwards, long, wide and tapered. The sepals turn downwards below the horizontal, long, wide. The
are erect or curve backwards, long and wide on a blackish stalk long. The labellum is long and has three lobes. The centre lobe is egg-shaped to wedge-shaped, long and wide. The side lobes are long and wide and spread apart from each other. There are two parallel callus ridges long at the base of the mid-line of the labellum and outlined with reddish brown. Flowering occurs in October and November.
Taxonomy and naming
Diuris carinata was first formally described by
John Lindley in his 1840 book
The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants from a specimen collected by James Drummond near the Swan River.
Its specific epithet (
carinata) is a
Latin word meaning "keeled",
referring to the keel-like structure of parts of the flower.
Distribution and habitat
The tall bee orchid is found between Gingin and Mount Barker in the
Jarrah Forest IBRA where it grows with
Cyperaceae in swampy areas.
