View source for Dendrobium nativitatis

{{Short description|Species of orchid}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
|name= Christmas Island crimp orchid
|image =
|image_caption =
|genus = Dendrobium
|species = nativitatis
|authority = [[Ridl.]]<ref name="WCSP">{{WCSP |58490 |''Dendrobium nativitatis''}}</ref>
|synonyms_ref = <ref>{{ThePlantList|id=kew-58490|taxon=Dendrobium nativitatis|authority=Ridl.|accessdate=5 August 2016}}</ref>
|synonyms =
* ''Dendrobium pectinatum'' <small>[[Ridl.]]</small>
* ''Ephemerantha pectinata'' <small>(Ridl.) [[P.F.Hunt]] & [[Summerh.]]</small>
* ''Flickingeria nativitatis'' <small>(Ridl.) [[Jeffrey James Wood|J.J.Wood]]</small>
}}
'''''Dendrobium nativitatis''''', commonly known as the '''Christmas Island crimp orchid''',<ref name="Jones">{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=David L.|title=A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories|date=2006|publisher=New Holland|location=Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.|isbn=1877069124|pages =397–398}}</ref> is a species of [[Epiphyte|epiphytic]] [[orchid]] that is [[Endemism|endemic]] to [[Christmas Island]], an [[Australia]]n territory in the north-eastern [[Indian Ocean]]. It has long, straggly stems, flattened [[pseudobulb]]s, a single leathery leaf and a single pale yellow flower.
==Description==
''Dendrobium nativitatis'' is an epiphytic [[Herbaceous plant|herb]] with straggly, sometimes branching, aerial stems {{convert|150-400|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long. The pseudobulbs are smooth, flattened, pale green, {{convert|25-40|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|7-10|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide. There is a single leathery, narrow elliptic leaf {{convert|50-120|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|10-20|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide on the end of the pseudobulb. A single, pale yellow flower {{convert|8-12|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|12-15|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide develops at the base of the leaf. The [[sepal]]s are lance-shaped, {{convert|8-10|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|4-5|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide and the [[petal]]s are {{convert|7-8|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long and about {{convert|2|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide. The [[Labellum (botany)|labellum]] is {{convert|12-14|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|7-8|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide and has three lobes. The side lobes surround the [[Column (botany)|column]] and the middle lobe has wavy edges near its base and two wavy ridges along its midline. Flowering occurs sporadically throughout the year and the [[Capsule (fruit)|capsule]] that follows is elliptical and about {{convert|15|mm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="Jones" /><ref name="foa">{{cite web |title=''Flickingeria nativitatis'' |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/online-resources/flora/stddisplay.xsql?pnid=55609 |publisher=Flora of Australia online |accessdate=3 December 2018}}</ref>
==Taxonomy and naming==
''Dendrobium nativitatis'' was first formally described in 1907 by [[Henry Nicholas Ridley]] and the description was published in ''Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society''.<ref name=APNI>{{cite web|title=''Dendrobium nativitatis''|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/621005|publisher=APNI|accessdate=3 December 2018}}</ref><ref name="Ridl.">{{cite journal |last1=Ridley |first1=Henry Nicholas |title=Christmas Island flora - additional notes |journal=Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |date=1907 |volume=48 |page=107 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/130727#page/411/mode/1up |accessdate=3 December 2018}}</ref>
Ridley had originally described the species in 1906 and given it the name ''Dendrobium pectinatum'', unaware that name had already been used for a different kind of orchid.<ref name="Ridl.1">{{cite journal |last1=Ridley |first1=Henry Nicholas |title=The botany of Christmas Island |journal=Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |date=1906 |volume=45 |page=232 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/130373#page/262/mode/1up|accessdate=3 December 2018}}</ref>
The [[specific name (botany)|specific epithet]] (''nativitatis'') is derived from the [[Latin]] word ''natus'' meaning "birth",<ref name="RWB">{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.|page=147}}</ref> implying the nativity of Christ, or Christmas, referring to the [[Type (biology)|type]] locality.<ref name="foa" />
==Distribution and habitat==
The Christmas Island crimp orchid is common in [[rainforest]] on the plateau and the high [[marine terrace|terraces]] of the island, where it favours ''[[Planchonella]]'' and ''[[Eugenia]]'' species as the host trees. It is only known from Christmas Island.<ref name="Jones" /><ref name="foa" />
== Relationships ==
This orchid is closely related to ''[[Dendrobium aureilobum]]'' from [[Java]] and [[Sumatra]].<ref name="foa" />
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q17270432}}
[[Category:Dendrobium|nativitatis]]
[[Category:Endemic flora of Christmas Island]]
[[Category:Endemic orchids of Australia]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1907]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Henry Nicholas Ridley]]