Tropidia territorialis
Tropidia territorialis, commonly known as the striped crown orchid, is an evergreen, terrestrial plant with between three and six thin, pleated, dark green leaves and up to twenty crowded, green and white flowers. It is only known from about five places in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Description
Tropidia territorialis is an evergreen, terrestrial herb with thin, upright stems tall with between three and six thin, pleated, dark green leaves long and wide. The leaves have five prominent veins. Above the leaves is a flowering stem long with between ten and twenty resupinate green and white flowers. The flowers open widely and are long and wide. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, long and about wide. The lateral sepals are a similar size to the dorsal sepal and are joined to each other for half their length then spread widely apart. The petals are about the same size as the sepals. The labellum is long, about wide with a pouch at its base and its tip curved downwards. Flowering occurs between December and January.
Taxonomy and naming
Tropidia territorialis was first formally described in 2004 by David Jones and Mark Clements and the description was published in The Orchadian.
The striped crown is only known from about five locations in monsoon rainforest in the Northern Territory including on Groote Eylandt.