# Leptoceras

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Leptoceras
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Leptoceras.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptoceras
> Source revision: 1354652670
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Genus of orchids

Rabbit orchid Leptoceras menziesii near American River on Kangaroo Island Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Orchidaceae Subfamily: Orchidoideae Tribe: Diurideae Subtribe: Caladeniinae Genus: Leptoceras Lindl. Species: L. menziesii Binomial name Leptoceras menziesii (R.Br.) Lindl.[1]

***Leptoceras menziesii***, commonly known as **rabbit orchid**,[2][3] is a plant in the orchid [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)), [Orchidaceae](/source/Orchidaceae) and the only member of the [genus](/source/Genus) ***Leptoceras***. It is a slender plant, usually found in large colonies and which only flowers after fire. The flowers are small, white, pink and red on a stem up to 30 cm (10 in) tall and is [endemic](/source/Endemism) to southern [Australia](/source/Australia). It was one of the first orchids from [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia) to be described and was given the name *Caladenia menziesii*, a name still used by some authorities.

## Description

The rabbit orchid is a [tuberous](/source/Tuber) [perennial](/source/Perennial_plant) [herb](/source/Herbaceous_plant) growing to a height of 6–20 cm (2–8 in), sometimes 30 cm (10 in) with one to three flowers. The leaf is [glabrous](/source/Glabrousness), variable in size and shape but mostly lance-shaped to broadly egg-shaped to oblong, 30–120 mm (1–5 in) long and 5–23 mm (0.2–0.9 in) wide.[4][5][6]

There are one to three small flowers, sometimes all white but more usually white, pink and red. The top [sepal](/source/Sepal) at the back of the flower is about 11 mm (0.4 in) long, dark reddish, spoon-shaped and forms a hood over the [column](/source/Column_(botany)). The back of the dorsal sepal has many [glandular](/source/Gland_(botany)) hairs. The lower, lateral sepals are white or pink, wide in the middle, taper towards both ends and 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long. The [petals](/source/Petal) forming the "ears" are erect, purplish-red, very narrow linear in shape but club-shaped on the ends, 16–30 mm (0.6–1 in) long and have many glandular hairs. The central [labellum](/source/Labellum_(botany)) is white with pink or red markings, egg-shaped to almost circular, about 7 mm (0.3 in) long and has a short [claw](/source/Petal#Shape_and_size). The labellum has 2 to 4 rows of [calli](/source/Callus) with large heads. The column is erect with wide wings and pink markings. The species flowers from August to November, much more prolifically after recent [bushfires](/source/Bushfires_in_Australia), and delayed in some places until after rainfall.[2][3][4][5][6]

## Taxonomy and naming

*Caladenia menziesii* was one of the first three orchids collected in Western Australia. [Archibald Menzies](/source/Archibald_Menzies) was the collector of the [holotype](/source/Holotype) at [King George Sound](/source/King_George_Sound) in 1791 during the [Vancouver Expedition](/source/Vancouver_Expedition).[7] It was first formally described by [Robert Brown](/source/Robert_Brown_(Scottish_botanist_from_Montrose)) and the description was published in *[Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen](/source/Prodromus_Florae_Novae_Hollandiae_et_Insulae_Van_Diemen)*.[8][9] In 1840, [John Lindley](/source/John_Lindley) changed the name to *Leptoceras menziesii* in *The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants*.[1][10] Some herbaria continue to use the old name.[5] The [specific epithet](/source/Botanical_name) (*menziesii*) honours Archibald Menzies.[7]

## Distribution and habitat

Rabbit orchid forms colonies using [vegetative reproduction](/source/Vegetative_reproduction) in a range of soil types in heath, scrub or forest, mainly in damp areas. It is widely distributed in [Victoria](/source/Victoria%2C_Australia), [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania), southern [South Australia](/source/South_Australia) and the [south-west](/source/Southwest_Australia) of Western Australia.[11]

## Conservation

*Leptoceras menziesii* is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia [Department of Parks and Wildlife](/source/Department_of_Parks_and_Wildlife_(Western_Australia)).[12]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-APNI_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-APNI_1-1) ["*Leptoceras menziesii*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/instance/apni/465152). APNI. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-1) Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). *Orchids of South-West Australia* (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. pp. 214–215. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780646562322](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780646562322).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Brown_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Brown_3-1) Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). *Orchids of Western Australia*. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 271. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780980296457](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780980296457).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Vicflora_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Vicflora_4-1) ["*Leptoceras menziesii*"](https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/6162161f-2d18-4af4-8c33-800d5995ed84). Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria. Retrieved 28 October 2019.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-efloraSA_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-efloraSA_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-efloraSA_5-2) ["*Caladenia menziesii*"](http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Caladenia_menziesii). Government of South Australia: eflorasa. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Archer_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Archer_6-1) Archer, William (18 July 2008). ["Rabbit orchid - *Leptoceras menziesii*"](http://esperancewildflowers.blogspot.com.au/2008/07/rabbit-orchid-leptoceras-menziesii.html). Esperance Wildflowers. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-heberle_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-heberle_7-1) Heberle, Ron L. ["History of Orchid Collecting in Western Australia, 1791–1971"](http://members.iinet.net.au/%7Eemntee/Historical1.htm). *The Species Orchid Society of Western Australia (Inc)*. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APNI(1)_8-0)** ["*Caladenia menziesii*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/instance/apni/514308). APNI. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-R.Br._9-0)** Brown, Robert (1810). [*Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/21771#page/195/mode/1up). London. p. 325. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Lindl._10-0)** Lindley, John (1840). [*The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/9889#page/428/mode/1up). Piccadilly, London: Ridgways. p. 416. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ALA_11-0)** ["*Leptoceras menziesii*"](http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Leptoceras+menziesii). Atlas of Living Australia; Biodiversity Information Explorer. Retrieved 3 June 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FloraBase_12-0)** ["*Leptoceras menziesii*"](https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/15418). *[FloraBase](/source/FloraBase)*. Western Australian Government [Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions](/source/Department_of_Biodiversity%2C_Conservation_and_Attractions).

- Liddelow, Bob (2006). *Guide to Native Orchids of South Western Australia*. R & R Publications Australia. p. 116. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-9587532-4-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-9587532-4-5).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Leptoceras](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Leptoceras).

[Wikispecies](/source/Wikispecies) has information related to ***[*Leptoceras*](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Leptoceras)***.

Taxon identifiers Leptoceras Wikidata: Q3291991 Wikispecies: Leptoceras APNI: 60153 BOLD: 445173 CoL: 8VYTP EoL: 4788838 FloraBase: 21285 GBIF: 5313335 GRIN: 19873 iNaturalist: 323962 IPNI: 29829-1 NCBI: 152885 NZOR: 4783afa0-21b2-48e5-926b-920642656b79 Open Tree of Life: 467592 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:29829-1 VicFlora: fefc88a6-7993-4cd1-bbfe-923047c7405d WFO: wfo-4000021232 Leptoceras menziesii Wikidata: Q17320793 Wikispecies: Leptoceras menziesii APNI: 60226 BOLD: 445174 CoL: 3TKXS EoL: 1081843 FloraBase: 15418 GBIF: 5324076 iNaturalist: 323922 IPNI: 640282-1 NCBI: 152886 NZOR: 59adfb08-1174-4d00-9e06-c42e5af23b0b Open Tree of Life: 467589 Plant List: kew-110935 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:640282-1 Species+: 59645 Tropicos: 50015330 VicFlora: 6162161f-2d18-4af4-8c33-800d5995ed84 WFO: wfo-0000226188

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Leptoceras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptoceras) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptoceras?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.