Chiloglottis


Chiloglottis, commonly known as wasp orchids, ant orchids or bird orchids, is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae and is found in eastern Australia and New Zealand. Wasp orchids are terrestrial herbs which grow in colonies of genetically identical plants. They usually have two leaves at the base of the plant and a single resupinate flower. The labellum is more or less diamond-shaped and has calli resembling the body of a wingless female wasp.''

Taxonomy and naming

The genus Chiloglottis was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown. Brown described Chiloglottis diphylla at the same time, making it the type species.
David Jones has transferred some species, especially those commonly known as "bird orchids" and "ant orchids" to other genera, but the change has not been widely accepted.

Distribution

This genus of orchids is native to Australia and New Zealand.

Ecology

The flowers of wasp, ant and bird orchids are pollinated by sexual deception of thynnine wasps, except for C. cornuta which is self-pollinating. A key feature is that each species of orchid is pollinated by a different species of wasp.
Male wasps are attracted by wind-borne pheromones released by glands on the sepals of the flowers. They usually land on the labellum, on another part of the plant or nearby and then walk or fly to the labellum. They crawl over the labellum, searching for the female wasp. They then attempt to lift and fly away with the dummy female but this action brings them into contact with the column. If the insect has pollinia from another orchid on its back, the contained pollen will attach to the sticky stigma. Alternatively, if there are no pollinia on its back, the insect may move backward, receive a coat of glue from the flower's rostellum, then push open the anther and removing any pollinia present, which adhere to the insect's thorax.

List of species