Chiloglottis seminuda, commonly known as the turtle orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern New South Wales. It has two broad leaves and a single green or reddish pink flower with a shiny black insect-like callus covering two-thirds of the base of the labellum but with the tip of the labellum free of callus.
Chiloglottis pluricallata is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with two elliptic to oblong leaves NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide on a petiole NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. A single green to reddish pink flower NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long is borne on a flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 high. The dorsal sepal is erect, narrow spatula-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide. The lateral sepals are linear, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, about 1sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, turn downwards and away from each other. There is a glandular tip NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long on the end of the dorsal sepal and about NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long on the lateral sepals. The petals are narrow oblong, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and turn downwards towards the ovary. The labellum is diamond-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. There is a shiny black, insect-like callus 1.8sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, occupying two-thirds of its base. The callus is surrounded by pinkish, club-shaped calli and by short black calli nearer the tip. The remaining one-third of the labellum is devoid of calli. The column is pale green with dark purple spots and flecks, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, about 2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with narrow wings. Flowering occurs from January to April.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Chiloglottis seminuda was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Penrose and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[5] The specific epithet (seminuda) is derived from the Latin prefix semi- meaning "a half"[6] and nuda meaning "bare" or "naked", referring to the bare one-third of the tip of the labellum.
The turtle orchid grows in moist forest mainly between the Blue Mountains and Clyde Mountain but there are several isolated records from Victoria.