Genoplesium alticola, commonly known as the tableland midge orchid, is a small terrestrial orchid endemic to Queensland. It has a single thin leaf fused to the flowering stem and up to twenty five small, hairy, dark purplish-red and green flowers. It grows in two small areas of the state at altitudes between NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2.
Genoplesium alticola is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single thin leaf NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and fused to the flowering stem with the free part NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. Between ten and twenty five dark purplish-red and green flowers are well spaced along a flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall but lower than the leaf. The flowers are NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, about 5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, about 5sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and 4sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with darker edges and three lines along its centre. The edges of the dorsal sepal have short, dark hairs. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, dark purplish red, about 5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and spread widely apart from each other. The petals are a broad egg-shape, dark purplish red with marking similar to those on the dorsal sepal and are about 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide densely hairy edges. The labellum is elliptic to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, about 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, with short, coarse hairs on the sides. There is an oblong callus in the centre of the labellum and covering about half of its surface. Flowering occurs between December and February.[1] [2]
Genoplesium alticola was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Danbulla and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[3] The specific epithet (alticola) is derived from the Latin words altus meaning "high" [4] and cola meaning "dweller", referring to the plant's relatively high altitude habitat.
Genoplesium alticola grows in sparse forest, often in grass tussocks on ridges on higher places. It is only known from the Atherton Tableland near Heberton and on Walshs Pyramid.