Chiloglottis truncata

Chiloglottis truncata, commonly known as the small ant orchid, is a small species of orchid endemic to Queensland. It has two leaves and a single green flower with a shiny black, insect-like callus occupying most of the labellum.

Description
Chiloglottis truncata is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with two leaves 50-60 mm long and 14-16 mm wide. A single green flower 14-16 mm long and 4-5 mm wide is borne on a flowering stem 60-100 mm high. The dorsal sepal is 10-11 mm long and 2-2.5 mm wide. The lateral sepals are 9-10 mm long, about 1 mm wide and curve downwards. There is a glandular tip about 1 mm long on all three sepals. The petals are about 8 mm long, 2 mm wide and turn downwards towards the ovary. The labellum is trowel-shaped, 7.5-8 mm long and about 4 mm wide with a square-cut tip and a narrow, shiny black, insect-like callus extending to its tip. Flowering occurs from July to September.

Taxonomy and naming
Chiloglottis truncata was first formally described in 1987 by David Jones and Mark Clements from a specimen collected at Anduramba and the description was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. The specific epithet (truncata) is a Latin word meaning "shorten by cutting off".

Distribution and habitat
The small ant orchid grows in forest and woodland between Kingaroy and Toowoomba.