# Lyperanthus

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Genus of orchids

Lyperanthus Rattle beaks (L. serratus) Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Orchidaceae Subfamily: Orchidoideae Tribe: Diurideae Subtribe: Megastylidinae Genus: Lyperanthus R.Br.[1]

***Lyperanthus***, commonly known as **beak orchids**, is a [genus](/source/Genus) of [flowering plants](/source/Flowering_plant) from the orchid [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)), [Orchidaceae](/source/Orchidaceae), that is [endemic](/source/Endemism) to Australia. There are two species, one in [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia) and the other in four eastern Australian states, distinguished by their single long, narrow, leathery leaf and dull coloured flowers which have prominent short [calli](/source/Labellum_(botany)) on their [labellum](/source/Labellum_(botany)). Both form loose colonies which reproduce asexually from their [tubers](/source/Tuber), and sexually using their flowers.

## Description

Orchids in the genus *Lyperanthus* are terrestrial, [perennial](/source/Perennial_plant), [deciduous](/source/Deciduous), [sympodial](/source/Sympodial) herbs usually with a few inconspicuous, fine roots and an oval-shaped, [tuber](/source/Tuber) lacking a protective [sheath](/source/Tunica_(biology)). Each year, new tubers develop on the ends of long, root-like [stolons](/source/Stolon). There is a single, erect, leathery, stiff, linear to lance-shaped leaf, 12–40 cm (5–20 in) long, 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) wide with tiny pimple-like [glands](/source/Gland_(botany)) on the lower surface. The distinctive leaf protruding though surrounding vegetation is often the first part of the orchid apparent to the observer.[2][3][4][5]

The [inflorescence](/source/Inflorescence) is a [raceme](/source/Raceme) with from one to eight [resupinate](/source/Resupination#Orchidaceae) flowers on an erect stem up to 50 cm (20 in) high. Each flower has a sheathing [bract](/source/Bract) around its short stalk and is brownish, reddish and green. The [dorsal](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dorsal) [sepal](/source/Sepal) is lance-shaped, about 2 cm (0.8 in) long and forms a hood over and close to the [column](/source/Column_(botany)). The two [lateral](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lateral) sepals are similar to the two [petals](/source/Petal), stiff and leathery, about 3 cm (1 in) long, narrow and with their edges often rolled inwards. The petals usually spread widely while the sepals hang downwards. As is usual in orchids, one [petal](/source/Petal) is highly modified as the central [labellum](/source/Labellum_(botany)). The labellum is separated from the sepals and other petals, its base attached to the base of the [column](/source/Column_(botany)). It is 9–10 mm (0.35–0.39 in) long, gently curved in a semi-circle, with three lobes, the central one egg-shaped to oval with its base surrounding the column. Most of the labellum is crowded with rows of rounded or erect calli. The sexual parts of the flower are fused to the column which is about 7 mm (0.3 in) long and has narrow wings along its length. Flowering occurs from August to November, depending somewhat on species and the fruit which follows is a non-fleshy, [dehiscent](/source/Dehiscence_(botany)) [capsule](/source/Capsule_(botany)) containing up to 500 seeds.[2][3][4][5]

Labelled image

## Taxonomy and naming

The genus *Lyperanthus* was first formally described in 1810 by [Robert Brown](/source/Robert_Brown_(Scottish_botanist_from_Montrose)) and the description was published in *[Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae](/source/Prodromus_Florae_Novae_Hollandiae)*.[6][7] The botanical name *Lyperanthus* is derived from the [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) words *lypros* meaning "poor" or "wretched"[8]: 501 and *anthos* meaning "flower",[8]: 54 referring to the dull-coloured flowers of this species.[3]

## Ecology

The pollination mechanism of the two species of *Lyperanthus* is not known but *L. suaveolens* is strongly fragrant in warm weather and both species have nectar, indicating that they may be pollinated by bees. Unlike many Western Australian orchid species, these two do not require fire to induce flowering.[2][3]

## Species

There are two species in the genus:

- *[Lyperanthus serratus](/source/Lyperanthus_serratus)* [Lindl.](/source/John_Lindley) – "rattle beaks" (Western Australia)

- *[Lyperanthus suaveolens](/source/Lyperanthus_suaveolens)* R.Br. – "brown beaks" ([New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales), [Victoria](/source/Victoria_(Australia)), [Queensland](/source/Queensland), and [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania)).[5]

Species with new names include:

- *Lyperanthus antarcticus* Hook.f. now *[Waireia stenopetala](/source/Waireia_stenopetala)* ([Hook.f.](/source/Joseph_Dalton_Hooker)) D.L.Jones, M.A.Clem. & Molloy – beak orchid (New Zealand)

- *Lyperanthus ellipticus* R.Br. now *[Rimacola elliptica](/source/Rimacola_elliptica)* (R.Br.) [Rupp](/source/Herman_Rupp) ([New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales))

- *Lyperanthus forrestii* F.Muell. now *[Pyrorchis forrestii](/source/Pyrorchis_forrestii)* ([F.Muell.](/source/Ferdinand_von_Mueller)) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. (Western Australia)

- *Lyperanthus nigricans* R.Br. now *[Pyrorchis nigricans](/source/Pyrorchis_nigricans)* (R.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. (Australia and New Zealand)[9][10]

## See also

- [List of Orchidaceae genera](/source/List_of_Orchidaceae_genera)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC_1-0)** ["*Lyperanthus*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/100842). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 October 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-2) Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). *Orchids of South-West Australia* (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. pp. 262–263. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780646562322](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780646562322).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Orchids_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Orchids_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Orchids_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Orchids_3-3) Pridgeon (ed.), Alec M.; Cribb (ed.), Phillip J.; Chase (ed.), Mark W.; Rasmussen (ed.), Finn (2001). *Genera Orchidacearum, Volume 2, Orchidoideae (part 1)*. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 162–165. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0198507100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0198507100). {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: |last1= has generic name ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#generic_name))

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FloraBase_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FloraBase_4-1) ["*Lyperanthus*"](https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/21286). *[FloraBase](/source/FloraBase)*. Western Australian Government [Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions](/source/Department_of_Biodiversity%2C_Conservation_and_Attractions).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RBGS_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RBGS_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-RBGS_5-2) Bernhardt, Peter. ["*Lyperanthus*"](http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Lyperanthus~suaveolens). Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 2 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APNI_6-0)** ["*Lyperanthus*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/instance/apni/528077). APNI. Retrieved 2 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-R.Br._7-0)** Brown, Robert (1810). [*Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/21771#page/195/mode/1up). London. p. 325. Retrieved 2 July 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RWB_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RWB_8-1) Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). *The Composition of Scientific Words*. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Australian orchid genera: current species list"](http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/orchidkey/html/currentspecies.html). Australian national botanic gardens: Centre for Australian national biodiversity research. Retrieved 26 January 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Clements, Mark A.; Jones, David L. ["Australian orchid name index"](http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/orchidkey/html/AustralianOrchidNameIndex.pdf) (PDF). Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 26 January 2015.

- Media related to [Lyperanthus](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lyperanthus) at Wikimedia Commons

- Data related to [*Lyperanthus*](https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lyperanthus) at Wikispecies

Taxon identifiers Lyperanthus Wikidata: Q3906562 Wikispecies: Lyperanthus APNI: 100842 BOLD: 431585 CoL: 8VZ3H EoL: 30074 FloraBase: 21286 GBIF: 2813245 GRIN: 7069 iNaturalist: 354028 IPNI: 29912-1 IRMNG: 1041396 NCBI: 78800 NZOR: 017bbc90-821e-40f2-9d4d-f79feb9604ee Open Tree of Life: 179405 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:29912-1 Tropicos: 40010481 VicFlora: 0ea4211b-3868-4d9d-b97d-93d7c67a165c WFO: wfo-4000022543

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