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Diuris longifolia

Purple pansy orchid
Diuris longifolia (02).JPG
D. longifolia growing in Mount Barker.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Subtribe: Diuridinae
Genus: Diuris
Species: D. longifolia
Binomial name
Diuris longifolia
R.Br.

Diuris longifolia is a species of orchid which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a variety of common names including purple pansy orchid, donkey orchid, common donkey orchid and wallflower orchid. It was one of the first three terrestrial orchids to be named from Western Australia, along with Caladenia menziesii (now ) and Caladenia flava.

Diuris longifolia is a tuberous, perennial herb with channelled, linear leaves 10–20 cm long. The flowers are 2.5–4.5 cm long, coloured purple, yellow and brown and appear from September to November.

The species was first described by Robert Brown on page 316 of his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen published in 1810. The type specimen was collected by Archibald Menzies near Frenchmans Bay, the present site of the city of Albany around late September or early October 1791. Menzies was surgeon and naturalist on HMS Discovery on the Vancouver Expedition commanded by Captain George Vancouver.

The specific epithet (longifolia) is derived from the Latin words longus "long" and folius "leaf".

The species is endemic to the south-western corner of Western Australia, occurring in the Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographical regions. It grows in sand, lateritic loam, clay and granite in moist situations.


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