Diuris venosa

Diuris venosa, commonly known as the veined doubletail is a species of orchid which is endemic to New South Wales. It has a few thin, erect leaves and up to four white to lilac-coloured flowers with deep red to purple blotches and lines.

Description

Diuris venosa is a tuberous, perennial, terrestrial herb, with three to five erect, thread-like leaves long and wide.
There are up to four flowers arranged on a raceme high, each flower about wide. The flowers are white to lilac-coloured with many purple lines and blotches. The dorsal sepal is broadly egg-shaped, long, wide and forms a hood over the column. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, long, wide and hang vertically below the flower. The petals are narrow egg-shaped, long, wide spreading more or less horizontally and resemble the shape of cow's ears. The labellum is long and is divided into three lobes. The lateral lobes are linear to wedge-shaped, long, wide with a wavy edge. The medial lobe is a broad egg-shape to almost circular when flattened, wide with a callus long.

Taxonomy and naming

Diuris venosa was first formally described in 1926 by Herman Rupp and the description was published in the journal, Victorian Naturalist. The specific epithet is derived from a Latin word meaning "veiny".

Distribution and habitat

This orchid is only found in New South Wales, in the Barrington Tops and New England National Parks, where it grows in swampy, grassy areas.

Conservation

Diuris venosa is listed as "Vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The threats to its survival include invasion by introduced weeds, particularly English broom, illegal removal of plants, and predation by feral pigs.