Speculantha ventricosa - from the "Type location"

In the world of Botany, showing plants from the "type location" always has a certain cachet. You know you have the right species name.

In this case, Speculantha ventricosa was named by David Jones, from this site, in the Nebraska Estate, near St George's Basin, south from Nowra. I wrote about this species and its naming, last year. This plant is now listed on the NSW Threatened Species Act as Critically Endangered.

Alan and I went down to the Nebraska Estate specifically to find these plants. In fact we were almost too early in the season, but we did find a few plants in flower.

The habitat was mixed Turpentine and Eucalypt forest on deep grey sandy soil. The plants were growing along a roadside verge, but the surrounding forest had dense undergrowth. There are some semi-cleared blocks in the area too.

Speculantha ventricosa - a classic specimen

Speculantha ventricosa rosette and flower stem

Speculantha ventricosa
flower seen from above, rear.
The lateral petals are clearly flared.

Speculantha ventricosa
note the "points" of the
lateral sepals curling over the hood.
Also note the abrupt "sinus"
(the opening at front of the flower).

Speculantha ventricosa

Speculantha ventricosa
young flowers yet to open
(at top).

 

Speculantha ventricosanote the shape of the
rear of the flower

Speculantha ventricosaas the flowers age they grow more reddish.

Corunastylis species in the Shoalhaven (some of them)

Here are some of the Corunastylis species which Alan and I found on Sunday and Monday.

Some were just finishing, others just starting. Of course there are many more than these species to be found, but these are what we did manage to track down.

Corunastylis superba I showed you yesterday - just finishing flowering.

We found a few finished flowers of Corunastylis apostasioides, and just one which still had one open flower. Unfortunately, I did not photograph it, as it was not particularly photogenic. Here is one I "prepared earlier" as TV Chefs say.

Corunastylis apostasioides - one flower open
Click to enlarge image.

I stayed over at Alan and Michelle's place (thanks Michelle) and we went out the next morning in search of Corunastylis despectans.These plants were at Tomerong.

These tiny flowers were just starting to bloom, it seems. 

Not many available to be photographed.

The flowers are very fine, with pointed sepals

and not a large dorsal sepal.
While the base colour is reddish, they overall impression

is of a slightly built, silvery red flower.

The stems were about 180mm high (about 8 inches).

Corunastylis despectans.

We then decided to go looking for some Corunastylis plants which normally are to be found, at Vincentia. These plants have not yet been named, and so are still given the made-up name Corunastylis sp. aff oligantha. It is not that named species (the Mongarlowe Midge Orchid), but is very close to it. I like to refer to it as the Vincentia Midge Orchid.

Vincentia Midge Orchid (as yet un-named)

After lunch at a cafe in Vincentia, we went to the Nebraska Estate, St George's Basin. We went looking for Corunastylis ventricosa (which we found -  but which I will not show tonight). Instead, I will show you some Corunastylis laminata which we also found.

Corunastylis laminata
the so-called "Red Midge Orchid"

On the way home, up through Kangaroo Valley 

I stopped to photograph several of the better small waterfalls

above the Barrengarry Range.

These falls flow permanently, but are normally

not visible from the Kangaroo Valley below.

This Falls is the one close to the Lookout

at Manning Lookout.

Waterfall in gorge west from Manning Lookout

These Falls are sometimes referred to as

Bridal Veil Falls
I find that name too cliched, and overused.

These falls are below the Grotto which is accessed by track

 - east from - Manning Lookout.

Second waterfall near Manning Lookout
East from the Lookout point.