Adenochilus nortonii, commonly known as the white gnome orchid or Australian gnome orchid,[1] is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to a few isolated locations in New South Wales. It has a long, thin underground rhizome, a single leaf and a single white flower with reddish glandular hairs on the outside. Its labellum has red bars and a central band of yellow calli.
Adenochilus nortonii is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with a long, thin, horizontal rhizome and a single egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaf, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with reddish spots on the lower surface. A single white flower NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide is borne on the end of a flowering spike NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall. The outer surface of the sepals and petals is covered with reddish glandular hairs. The dorsal sepal is broad elliptic in shape, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide and forms a hood over the labellum and column. The lateral sepals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide and spread widely apart from each other. The petals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, about 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and slightly erect. The labellum is strongly curved when viewed from the side, about 5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide, with three lobes with red bars. The middle lobe is narrow with a dense central band of yellow calli and the side lobes are broader. Flowering occurs in November and December.[2] [3]
Adenochilus nortonii was first formally described in 1876 by Robert FitzGerald from a specimen collected near Mount Victoria and the description was published in his book Australian Orchids.[4] The specific epithet (nortonii) honours James Norton (1824-1906), an amateur botanist and friend of Fitzgerald.[5]
The white gnome orchid grows in rock crevices, in sphagnum and near creeks in beech forest, usually above 900sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1. It is found in the Blue Mountains, Barrington Tops and Point Lookout areas.