Habenaria exilis

Habenaria exilis, commonly known as the wispy rein orchid, is a species of orchid that is endemic to a small area in far north Queensland. It usually has two leaves at its base and up to fifteen tiny whitish flowers.

Description
Habenaria exilis is a tuberous, perennial herb usually with two upright, dark green leaves, 20-60 mm long and 3-5 mm wide. Between seven and fifteen whitish flowers 8-9.5 mm long and 5-6 mm wide are well-spaced along a flowering stem 200-500 mm tall. The dorsal sepal and petals overlap at their bases and form a hood over the column. The dorsal sepal is about 3 mm long and 2 mm wide. The lateral sepals are about 4 mm long, 2 mm wide and spread nearly horizontally away from each other. The petals are about 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. The labellum is about 3 mm long and 6 mm wide and has three lobes. The side lobes are thread-like, about 4.5 mm long and arranged at about 90° to the middle lobe which is shorter and turns downwards. The labellum spur is white and green, about 5 mm long and parallel to the ovary. Flowering occurs between January and April.

Taxonomy and naming
Habenaria exilis was first formally described in 1998 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Rossville by Lewis Roberts in 1993 and the description was published in The Orchadian. The specific epithet (exilis) is a Latin word meaning "thin", "slender", "meager" or "poor ".

Distribution and habitat
The wispy rein orchid has a narrow distribution near Rossville where it grows with grasses in sparse woodland which is partly flooded in summer.