Christmas Bells

Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells - Blandfordia nobilis

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Beard Orchids are coming into season

I love the bizarre Beard Orchids.
I confess to finding them hard to identify down to the species level, as one needs to get the "perfect" picture of each angle of the flower, and sometimes that is simply not possible.
I believe this first image is of the "Red Beard Orchid" - Calochilus paludosus.

I should express thanks to Gaye from the Hunter for having posted comparative photos of Calochilus paludosus and Calochilus robertsonii. See the relevant post here.

They wear a bunch of hairs and"calli" (glands) on the labellum
which earns them the name of Beard Orchid.
(Click to see the flower in full detail)
These plants are just coming into flowering season,. so they were not all properly open . It is quite common to find them half-closed with the long purplish "beard" protruding.
EDIT: In retrospect, I believe these subsequent images are of the Purplish Beard Orchid - Calochilus robertsonii
This plant is partially open.
They have fabulously rich and vibrant colours in the "beard".
The long thin protrusion below the flower is in fact
the lower half of the Labellum,
which starts out covered in hairs,
but is naked in the lower section.

2 comments:

ValeriaVine said...

Gorgeous photos Denis...thanks for posting

Flabmeister said...

As usual Robertson is in front of Carwoola. On a community wildflower walk on Sunday a 'beardie' was found, but only in the bud stage. I don't think anyone was game to go further in trying to label it!