Habenaria euryloba, commonly known as the small rein orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to a small area in far north Queensland. It has two or three leaves at its base and up to twenty small white flowers with a trident-like labellum.
Habenaria euryloba is a tuberous, perennial herb with two or three leaves at its base, the leaves NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. Between eight and twenty white flowers, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide are borne on a flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall. The dorsal sepal and petals are NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and about NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and joined at their bases to form a hood over the column. The lateral sepals are NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, about 2.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, turn downwards and spread widely apart from each other. The labellum is NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and wide with three lobes appearing like a trident. The middle lobe is about 4sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and 2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide while the side lobes are much narrower and slightly shorter. The nectary spur is straight, white with a green tip, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and about 2.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. Flowering occurs between December and February.[1]
Habenaria euryloba was first formally described in 1998 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Cooktown in 1992 and the description was published in The Orchadian.[2] The specific epithet (euryloba) is derived from the Ancient Greek words eurys meaning "broad", "wide" or "widespread"[3] and lobos meaning "a rounded projection or protuberance".[3]
The small rein has a narrow distribution near Cooktown where it grows with sedges and rushes in summer-wet swamps and Melaleuca viridiflora wetland.