Phreatia limenophylax
Phreatia limenophylax, commonly known as the Norfolk Island caterpillar orchid is a plant in the orchid family, an epiphyte with four to six fleshy, channelled leaves in a fan-like arrangement. A large number of tiny white flowers are arranged along a thin flowering stem. It grows on the Solomon Islands, Norfolk Island and other islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean. Description Phreatia limenophylax is an epiphytic herb with a short stem, thin roots and between four and six thick, fleshy, dark green channelled leaves long and about wide in a fan-like arrangement. A large number of greenish white non-resupinate flowers about long and wide are arranged along a thin flowering stem long with prominent bracts. The sepals and petals are about long. The labellum is about long. Flowering occurs between January and April. Taxonomy and naming The Norfolk Island caterpillar orchid was first formally described in 1833 by Stephan Endlicher who gave it the name Plexaure limenophylax and published the description in Prodromus Florae Norfolkicae. The type specimen was collected by Ferdinand Bauer near Anson Bay on the western side of Norfolk Island. In 1873 George Bentham changed the name to Phreatia limenophylax. The specific epithet (limenophylax) is derived from