Acianthus fornicatus - "Pixie Caps" - regular and green forms

Here is a regular coloured form of Acianthus fornicatus. It is also known as "Pixie Caps", because of its delicate shape and fine texture. Unfortunately, this flower is nearly invisible in the bush, because much of the flower is transparent. 

I find that I see the leaf, which is a flat, heart-shaped leaf, long before I see the flower itself. Spot the leaf and then look for the flowers, is the normal routine with Acianthus plants.

These plants were growing in the same area where I photographed the Petalochilus pictus, shown yesterday, from the Jervis Bay district.

Acianthus fornicatus - regular colour form

 Here it is again seen from the front.

The column is clearly visible in this shot, 

But one seldom gets to see this detail.

That's why I use flash to get the images.

Click on the image to see the full detail.

Acianthus fornicatus - showing the semi-transparent "Pixie Cap"

 Here is the lovely and unusual green form of this same species.

It is known as an "alba" form, which amounts to it being without pigment.

However, it does have chlorophyll, which is all that remains to give it colour.

Alba forms of many Orchids are known, but they tend to be unusual.

I have seen alba forms of  other Orchids before, but not often.

They tend to be found together, 

presumably because of a genetic variation,

which has been inherited by all the plants in the group.

The two forms, natural and green, were growing close to eachother, 

but the green forms are found only in a massed single colony.

Acianthus fornicatus - alba form.

  Here is the full stem of one of the "alba" form plants.

Acianthus fornicatus - alba form. A full stem of flowers.

 Click to enlarge, to see the dense growth of this colony of plants.

The colony of the green Acianthus fornicatus - alba form plants.