Orchids from Nowra and Cambewarra Mountain

This morning I rang Alan Stephenson to check on the weather in Nowra.
We have had such cold, windy weather in Robbo that I was very uncertain that it was going to be worthwhile making the trip down to the Shoalhaven. But Alan assured me it was warm and sunny,

I am glad I went, for I found a number of interesting Orchids.

Hymenochilus bicolor
Formerly Pterostylis bicolor
Growing in Nowra Cemetery

Prasophyllum elatum
These plants on Leebold Hill
have green leaves and
black flower stems.
The buds are just visible,
They come out creamy colour.

Pterostylis erecta

Speculantha vernalis
This spring flowered species
of Speculantha
is distinct from the regular
summer and autumn flowered species.
Alan Stephenson has persuaded
the Federal Authorities
to list it as Critically Endangered
because it is so highly localised.

The epiphytic form of the
Sydney Rock Orchid
it grows so high in trees on
Cambewarra Mountain
that it is very hard
for me to photograph.
You can just make out
the long flower sprays.
Thelychiton epiphyticus

Dockrillia pugioniformis

Petalochilus alatus
Fairy Caladenia
This tiny Caladenia
is very sweet, but hard to find
and harder to photograph properly.

 An unusual magenta colour form of Glossodia minor
beside a regular colour form on right

Glossodia minor

New images of Black Mountain Orchids

These images were taken on Black Mountain last weekend. I am grateful to Martin Butterfield and Tony Wood for arranging to meet me at Black Mountain, (ACT) and to show me where these particular plants are found. These are all plants I have not photographed properly before (I have seen the Little Duck Orchid in pouring rain at Lithgow, but the photos were barely recognisable.) The Black Tongued Stegostyla and the Large Bird Orchid are totally new species for me.

Little Duck Orchid
Paracaleana minor

You might like to compare this species with the closely related Flying Duck Orchid, Caleana major.

Little Duck Orchid
Paracaleana minor
Front view of the Orchid and column and pollinia.

leaf of Little Duck Orchid
Paracaleana minor

Oligochaetochilus rufus
Rustyhood Orchid - front view

This species of the "rufa group" (or Rustyhoods) (originally in the Pterostylis group) is flowering considerably later than other "Rustyhoods".

Oligochaetochilus rufus
Rustyhood Orchid - side view

Simpliglottis valida
Large Bird Orchid

This is the first time I have seen this species of Large Bird Orchid (Simpliglottis valida). You can contrast this species with the local "Illawarra Bird Orchid" Simpliglottis chlorantha - which is primarily an all-green flower. Similar in structure, with subtle differences in the gland structure.

Simpliglottis valida
Large Bird Orchid
Note large "osmophores" glands.
(Click on image to enlarge)

This large pink "non-Caladenia" as Martin refers to them, is a striking plant. It was growing amongst tussocks of native grasses high on the eastern side of Black Mountain - overlooking Canberra's Civic Centre. I was anticipating it to be a small "Ladies Fingers Orchid", but the flowers were far larger and far taller than I was expecting.

Stegostyla congesta
Black-tongue Orchid

The labellum of this Orchid is very distinctive, with its "calli" (glands) packed densely all over the lebellum. The entire plant is covered with fine bristles.

Stegostyla congesta
Black-tongue Orchid

More "Finger Orchids" (Caladenias)

These plants were so popular when known as Caladenias. The name Petalochilus lacks the benefits of familiarity and simplicity.

But they are the same gorgeous things which they ever were.

Here are some members of this genus, all found at Nowra and Jervis Bay last weekend.

Petalochilus alatus -  a sweet little flower.

The two side petals are typically held out in a cross-shaped pattern.

Petalochilus alatus - front view.

Pale pink with bright sides of the labellum, and a yellow tip.

Petalochilus alatus - from the side.

From the rear, one sees pale pink stripes. 

It is not as dark and hairy as Pet fuscatus.

Petalochilus alatus - rear view

Here is Petalochilus fuscatus. 

Even I would have to acknowledge that this is a 

particularly dark and handsome specimen 

of what is normally regarded as  a fairly drab species. 

This plant earns is name of "fuscatus" meaning "dusky".

A particularly colourful specimen of Petalochilus fuscatus

Petalochilus fuscatus

 A front and rear view together of this species.

2 plants of Petalochilus fuscatus

 Here is Petalochilus carneus 

Note the strong crimson banding on the Labellum

In Kangaloon and a Fitzroy Falls (on top of the Illawarra Plateau)

this is our most common "Caladenia".

These plants were seen at Nowra and Jervis Bay last weekend.

This is typically what one sees when walking through the bush.

By that I mean, this is how one sees it, when walking past the plant.

Petalochilus carneus - as seem when standing up over the flower

To get a better view one needs to "get down and dirty".

Petalochilus carneus - as seen in a close-up image

 Here is the closely related 

(and more spectacular) 

Petalochilus hillmanii

Petalochilus hillmanii

Here it is seen close-up.

Petalochilus hillmanii - close-up of labellum

I would have to confess that I have chosen relatively strongly marked individuals of these very variable species (from the hundreds of photos I took).

In truth, it is often confusing for me, to work out whether I have a pale form of  a "carneus" or a "fuscatus". 

And even the "hillmanii" and "carneus" can be a bit confusing when one finds less strongly marked plants. One thing helps, Petalochilus hillmanii is ***not found up on the Escarpment, and I have not seen Petalochilus alatus up here, either - not yet, anyway.

*** see my report (23 September 2011) of this species on Cambewarra Mountain at 600 metres above sea level - a new height record for this species.

Spring Is coming in a rush, in the "bush".

This post will primarily be about Orchids, but let me just say that the "bush" is coming alive in the Illawarra and Southern Highlands. And it looks great!

Wattles are in flower everywhere, lining the roads and tracks, and the Pea flowers are climbing, scrambling or in the case of the shrubby ones, just standing up and flowering their little heads off.

But amongst these shrubs, the spring-flowering Orchids are just coming into flower too.

Just down my local hill, below Macquarie Pass, at Albion Park, the rare and endangered Illawarra Greenhood - better known simply as "gibbosas", have started to flower. 

The name Oligochaetochilus gibbosus amounts to the unpronounceable in search of the "bent over". 

Gibbous means humpbacked. The other part of the name, refers to its few spiky hairs on the labellum.

It is listed under the EPBC Act as Endangered, because of its limited distribution.

Here is the flower seen from the side
It is demonstrating its "gibbous" posture.

Oligochaetochilus gibbosus

And from the front, with the labellum "set"

Oligochaetochilus gibbosus

The EPBC Act recovery plan for this species includes this Pterostylis gibbosa drawing by A. W. Dockrill (reproduced from The Orchardian Volume 12, Number 3, March 1997 with the permission of the Editor)

">Botanical drawing of this species by AW Dockrill

In the same area, is found a cousin of that first species, Hymenochilus bicolor

It is a Midget Greenhood which has been renamed. In common parlance it is called the Black-tip Greenhood, in reference to its labellum. 

Black-tip Greenhood Hymenochilus bicolor

***************

In the same area I found the first of the regular spring "Caladenias"

This is Petalochilus carneus, best known as "Pink Fingers"

Petalochilus carneus

 There is often considerable variation between different flowers.

Pink Fingers Orchid  Petalochilus carneus

There will be many more of these "Spring Orchids" over the next few days. 

Time and space are running out on me.

Orchids at Jervis Bay "suburbia"

There is plenty of "suburbia" at Jervis Bay, but in one particular stretch of road there are thousands of Orchids growing in a patch of plain suburban roadside. The soil is "just right" for them obviously and the locals seem to leave them alone, for which we are all deeply grateful.

Petalochilus pictus (formerly Caladenia picta) puts on the best display I have ever seen, in deep sandy soil, just on the edge of the suburban road, close to the coast here at Jervis Bay. 

Group of Petalochilus pictus

Petalochilus pictus - pink form and white form

Tight group of Petalochilus pictus

Double flower stem - Petalochilus pictus

Portrait of Petalochilus pictus

A nice pink form of Petalochilus pictus

study image of column, labellum and dorsal sepal - Petalochilus pictus

There were many hundreds of other orchid species growing in the same stretch of road and I will show these over the next few night.

Orchids of Thirlmere Lakes

There were hundreds of "Caladenia-type" Ground Orchids in flower at Thirlmere Lakes, near Picton.

This is a wonderful natural area, famous for its Lakes, but it is equally wonderful as the home of many beautiful Orchids.

These are all definitely of the Petalochilus genus, as the dorsal sepal is clearly erect. Recent postings of Stegostyla species (with purple lips) are all of strongly hooded flowers.

I am going out on a limb here, with the names of these Orchids, but I will go conservatively, and proclaim most of them to be variants of the same species - Petalochilus catenatus, despite the fact that they vary from white, to palest pink, through to mid pink.

Several are so strongly marked that I believe that I believe they are clearly Petalochilus carneus.

My whitest plant is a near-perfect match for the one illustrated on the PlantNET site.

A white form of Pet catenatusThis is a slight variant - with a pink tip of the column.

A probable Pet. carneus - with red marks on labellum.

A classic Pet. carneus - with red marks on labellum,
and red marks inside the column.

A strong pink Petalochilus, with a green column and white labellum

Presumably a pink variant of Petalochilus catenatus.

With the markings inside the flower

this is presumably Pet carneus.This is the "odd man out".
It is nearly pure white, with a green top of the column.
But the inside of the column is dark red.
If this plant were flowering in June, not October,
I would call it Petalochilus pictus.

The same plant viewed from the side.

Lovely pair of Pet. catenatus