Orchids


There are about 30,000 species of orchid worldwide making Orchidaceae the largest family of flowering plants. They are found in a diverse range of habitats.

Orchids have distinctive flowers, consisting of three sepals and three petals. The third petal is greatly modified into a specialised structure known as a labellum. Another distinctive feature is the column, a fusion of the sexual parts of the flower (stamens and style) into a fleshy structure. Most terrestrial orchids grow from a tuber which is replaced each year.

Some orchids are designated as rare and endangered plants. Others, although reasonably common, are very localised in their occurence. All orchids are protected species and should not be disturbed in their native habitat. For these reasons all orchids have been included as rare or sensitive plants.


Orchids

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Discussion

gregbaines wrote:
Yesterday
Wonderful find!

Diuris dendrobioides
Bubbles wrote:
2 Nov 2025
Thanks both for your insights! This one has taken me through numerous field guides lol.

Caladenia mentiens
Tapirlord wrote:
2 Nov 2025
Fascinating stuff. Looks like a VERY intriguing find.

Caladenia mentiens
MattM wrote:
2 Nov 2025
It's definitely not C. alpina as that has quite a hooded dorsal sepal. It looks like C. pussila or similar which would fit with your description of a flower smaller than the nearby pink fingers (although it could just be a very small one).

Caladenia mentiens
Mike wrote:
31 Oct 2025
Several orchids are growing out of grass tussocks. Perhaps that give them some protection.

Diuris sulphurea
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