At some point in summer I will catch a glimpse of a faint splash of pink in the long tussock grass. The native Hyacinth Orchids are back!
They are hard to spot because they are solitary flowers; Dipodium punctata does not grow in clumps. They are also only thinly dispersed here. Like me, their needs for space and privacy are large.
They have no leaves, as apparently their thick fleshy roots draw enough food to sustain these exotic-looking beauties.
Undistracted, the dark burgundy stem shoots up about 60cm before erupting into a raceme of pink stars spotted with deeper pink and burgundy.
The new buds at the top clasp each other closely until it’s their turn to spread their petals and show their star quality –’Ta-dah’!
Hi Lisa,
Yes most of the other orchids here are tiny and shy too. But aren’t they treasures to find when they pop up again each year? Glad yours has returned!
Sharyn, we get a tiny single flower orchid growing in the underbrush here. It hasn’t grown for the last 4 seasons, but this year it has returned (with the better seasons I presume). The stalk is about 25cm high, and the orchid itself is whitish cream and no bigger than a 10c piece. Yours is much more flamboyant! Lisa
Yes, Gaye, they seem such generous gifts amidst drying summer grasses. Trouble- and cost-free gardening! I liked the Tangle orchids on your blog too.
hi Sharyn,
just delightful! I am a real lover of the delicate ground orchids that poke their beautiful heads out so many unsuspecting little clearings. I found a Hyacinth Orchid last week too, but a different species:
http://huntervalleyjournal.blogspot.com/2009/01/48-orchids-in-barringtons.html
Yours is certainly a beauty with its dark stem and burst of flowers.
Cheers
Gaye