Eriochilus  cucullatus  

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Monocots >  Orchidaceae > Eriochilus  cucullatus

Other links:

Plant  information

Common name:               Parson's Bands

• Leafless Parson's Bands

• The common name, "parson's bands" refers to the white (or pink) lateral sepals resembling a clerical collar

Conservation status:   unknown

Etymology:   

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• The specific epithet (cucullatus) is a Latin word meaning "hooded" 

Flowers:                  

• Up to five white to pale pink flowers 15–20 mm long and 12–15 mm wide 

• These are borne on a slender spike, 100–250 mm tall

• The dorsal sepal is spoon-shaped to lance shaped with the narrower end towards its base, 5–8 mm long, about 2 mm wide and forms a hood over the column

• The enlarged lateral sepals are 10–13 mm long and 3–4 mm wide and white to pale pink

• The petals are reddish-green, 6–7 mm long and about 1 mm wide and slightly enlarged near the tip

• The labellum is white, green or yellowish, 6–8 mm long, about 3 mm wide and fleshy with tufts of short red and white hairs

• Flowering occurs from December to June

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• It has a single, egg-shaped, dark green, slightly rough and hairy leaf 

• This is not fully developed until after flowering, when it is 15–35 mm long and 7–12 mm wide

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• It is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber

Habitat:   

• It grows in all Australian states except Western Australia and the Northern Territory

Distribution:                  

• Endemic to Australia

• It is a common and widespread, slender ground orchid with a single leaf and up to five small white to pale pink flowers

• Parson's bands is widespread in Tasmania, in Victoria apart from the far north-west, eastern NSW as far west as Grenfell, south-east Queensland and south-east South Australia

• It grows in a wide range of habitats, from grassland to forest and from coastal areas to subalpine zones

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • This orchid was first formally described in 1805 by Jacques Labillardière who gave it the name Epipactis cucullata and published the description in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen

  • In 1871 Heinrich Reichenbach changed the name to Eriochilus cucullatus.

• Use in horticulture

  • Eriochilus cucullatus is sometimes grown in pots by orchid enthusiasts but requires specialist techniques

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriochilus_cucullatus (2023)