Crepidium marsupichilum, commonly known as the pouched spur orchid,[1] is a plant in the orchid family and is endemic to tropical far north Queensland. It is an evergreen, terrestrial orchid with an cone-shaped stem, light green, shiny leaves and a large number of purple flowers crowded along a green and purple flowering stem.
Crepidium marsupichilum is a terrestrial, evergreen herb with an upright or leaning cone-shaped stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. There are between four and six shiny, light green leaves with wavy edges, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. A large number of purple, non-resupinate flowers are crowded along a green and purple flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The flowers are about 8sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and 9sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The sepals are about 5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, the dorsal sepal turned stiffly downwards and the lateral sepals spread apart from each other with their tips turned downwards. The petals are about 4sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with their tips turned down. The labellum is horseshoe-shaped, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and about 5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with a blunt tip and smooth edges. Flowering occurs between January and April.[2]
The pouched spur orchid was first formally described in 1976 by Walter Thomas Upton who gave it the name Malaxis marsupichilum from a specimen collected in the McIlwraith Range. The description was published in The Orchadian.[3] In 1995 Dariusz Szlachetko changed the name to Crepidium marsupichilum.[4]
Crepidium marsupichilum is widespread and common in tropical north Queensland including in the Iron Range and McIlwraith Range and on Torres Strait Islands where it grows in leaf litter in shady rainforest.