The K A L H A R I June 2014 The “ Message Stick “ of the A.N.O.S. (Qld ) Kabi Group Inc.

Mail: PO Box 424, Aspley 4034 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.ourshopfront.com/kabi

President: Christene Dennis 3385 6630 Vice-President: Graham Corbin 3399 9208 Secretary: Marilyn Corbin 3399 9208 Treasurer: David James 3359 5752 Editor: Graham Corbin 3399 9208 Coming Events Next Monthly Meeting 10th June 7:45 pm Bald Hills Memorial Hall, 2126 Gympie Road, Bald Hills Next Orchid Amble 9am, 29th June. Neurum Creek Bush Retreat, Mount Archer Next Bush House Visit To be announced Next Committee Meeting 7:30pm 22nd July at Geppert residence Kabi Judging Roster L Burow, H Geppert, P Porteous Judging Panel Meeting 9:30am 20th July, Pine Rivers Special School, Lawnton Beenleigh Judging Roster 7:30pm 3 July L James, H Geppert Supper Roster June: G Scrace & L Biddle July: D&A Gillingham

June Feature Item – Orchids of Girraween David James will present a pictorial introduction to the orchids of Girraween and Bald Rock National Parks. This presentation does not illustrate all the orchids that can be found in Girraween and Bald Rock National Parks but some of the more common orchids together with some identification features. The orchids illustrated are both lithophytes and geophytes (terrestrials). The presentation has been prepared with photographs from Graham Corbin and David James taken since 2005 during the Australasian Native Orchid Society (Qld) – Kabi Group weekend orchid ambles to Girraween and Bald Rock National Parks.

June Orchid Amble David James The June 2014 orchid amble will be to the northern end of the Mount Mee section of the D’Aguilar National Park from 9:00 am on Sunday 29 June 2014. The amble starting point will be on the roadside just past the entry to the Neurum Creek Bush Retreat (commercial camp ground) on Rasmussen Road in the locality of Mount Archer. This is close the where Rasmussen Road crosses Neurum Creek.

The amble will proceed along Rasmussen Road and Lovedays Road stopping at likely locations and walking generally along the roadsides to observe orchids within a short distance of the roads.

While the dirt roads are suitable for conventional vehicles, conventional vehicles can be left at the Archer camping area where amblers will be consolidated into a limited number of

Page 1 The Kalhari June 2014 vehicles so as to reduce the number of vehicles that have to be parked on the roadside during the amble.

This amble hopes to observe winter flowering geophytic orchids like Caladenia, and Pterostylis . For course nothing is guaranteed or ruled out.

The amble is planned to be either for half a day or all day broken by lunch at the parked vehicles. Ambers can leave at any time.

Due to the time of year it may be cool so the amblers should plan to bring warm clothing as well as plenty of water and a good hat.

Amblers will need to bring food (lunch) if they are staying all day and water that can be carried during the amble.

Any prospective amblers should contact David James (Tel: 3359 5752 or Email: [email protected]) so the amble(s) do not commence without you.

Coming Shows

28-29 June North Moreton Qld Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, Orchid Council Toowong

4-6 July Caboolture Orchid Morayfield Community Complex, 9am-4pm, 9am-4pm Society Morayfield Rd, 9am-2pm Morayfield

Bench Results – May 2014 Dendrobium Latouria Species 1st Dendrobium shiraishii R Reitano

Page 2 The Kalhari June 2014 Dendrobium Phalaenanthe Species 1st Dendrobium bigibbum D Hosking

Dendrobium Phalaenanthe Type Hybrids 1st Den. Kiilani Stripe L&D James 2nd Den. Topaz Sweet K&J Gould 3rd Den. Topaz Sweet L&D James

Dendrobium Spatulata Species 1st Dendrobium johannis H Geppert 2nd Dendrobium johannis H Geppert

Dendrobium Spatulata Type Hybrids 1st Den. John's Charm ‘Bruno’ R Reitano 2nd Den. Carron Deb ‘BJ’ × R Reitano Kuranda 3rd Den. Fraser's Canary Twister J Hutchinson

Page 3 The Kalhari June 2014 Dendrobium Spatulata/Phalaenanthe Hybrids 1st Den. Mini Pearl J Hutchinson 2nd Den. Superbiens R Reitano 3rd Den. Hawaiian Twinkle C Warland

Other Dendrobium Species 1st Dendrobium lawesii R Reitano

Other Dendrobium Hybrids 1st Den. Wasyl H Geppert

Page 4 The Kalhari June 2014 Miscellaneous Species 1st Oberonia titania R Reitano 2nd Cadetia taylorii R Reitano

Cultural of the Month Den. John's Charm ‘Bruno’ R Reitano

Page 5 The Kalhari June 2014 Popular Vote Plant of the Month Dendrobium shiraishii R Reitano

Other Benched Den. Alex MacPherson × canaliculatum Den. Nigrescens Fragrance Den. Brown Gloss × canaliculatum Den. Pearl Vera Den. Cherry Dance Den. Pearl Vera × Burbank Sweet Den. Jin Balmoja Den. Shavin White Den. Kiilani Stripe × Topaz Dream Benching Photos courtesy of Jon Cara

Non-Competitive Benching

David & Len James benched this orchid in non-competitive as they wished to show off the large flowers on this newly purchased hybrid but as they had not owned the plant for six months were unable to bench it competitively.

Den. Asternova Sparkle × (Dal's Cheer × Dal's Madam)

Page 6 The Kalhari June 2014 Cultural Plant- Den. John's Charm ‘Bruno’ Robert Reitano The plant that received the judge’s choice for Cultural Plant of the Month was Den. John’s Charm ‘Bruno’. It is a primary hybrid within the Spatulata section, between Den. discolor and Den. semifuscum. It exhibited five racemes of well shaped flowers that arranged themselves all around the racemes. The flowers sit perpendicular to the raceme and the colour is a pleasing blend between the colours of both parents. The floral segments of Den. discolor can be rather undulated and twisted; however, the influence of Den. semifuscum has controlled these traits to the point where all segments are well proportioned and the flower shape is uniform across all racemes. The plant is still relatively young and in the future more mature growths are expected to produce even longer racemes. The Spatulata section responds well in warm to hot conditions in the orchid house. And as they do not generally require a resting period during the winter months they do still need to have the occasional watering and light feeding to maintain vigour.

Popular Vote - Dendrobium shiraishii Robert Reitano

This is a relatively recent discovery in the Latouria section of the genus Dendrobium; having been discovered by Yakawa & Nishida in 1992. It originates from Irian Jaya, in the vicinity of Manokwari at elevations of around 1500 meters. The labellum of the flower is obviously the highlight with the somewhat large side-lobes that are boldly coloured and striated. This contrasts well with the yellow colour of the remaining segments. Research has many photos of this species exhibiting often folding down in front of the lateral . The plant I purchased 18 months ago is a fine example where the petals hold themselves almost horizontal giving the flower more balance. The flowers were well arranged on a strong upright inflorescence and they were presented perpendicular and not hanging like many species within the section Latouria. It truly is a spectacular species which responds to intermediate to warm temperatures with medium amounts of light. It is currently growing beneath taller growing dendrobiums in the orchid house and appreciates high levels of humidity during the growing season, with reduced water during the cooler winter months. Page 7 The Kalhari June 2014 Benching Commentary Robert Reitano Dendrobium Phalaenanthe Species Dendrobium bigibbum The plant that received the 1st in this class was an unusual bi-coloured form of Den. bigibbum. The plant was labelled as an album form of this species; however, it certainly was interesting to see the flower colour defying what was indicated on the tag. Although the segments of this plant were not exhibiting the full, over-lapped shape that is desirable of selectively bred Den. bigibbum, it did have well placed sepals and petals. As is often the case with first flowering plants, it is worth waiting to see the flowers of subsequent seasons, as they often develop better shapes as the plant matures.

Dendrobium Phalaenanthe Type Hybrids - Den. Kiilani Stripe The parentage of this hybrid is Den. Candy Stripe x Den. Doreen. This is an attractive hybrid with its striped floral segments. The stripes in this Phalaenanthe type hybrid come from the introduction of Den. bifalce, which is the only Latouria species that grows in . This small species is responsible for putting the striping in many Dendrobiums. While the colour and striping was attractive in this hybrid, judges are looking for well positioned sepals and petals, which give a better overall balance to the flower shape. This flower would benefit from the lateral sepals being slightly lower to reduce the flatness of the bottom. In saying that, the floral arrangement was commendable for the display.

Dendrobium Spatulata Species - 1st Dendrobium johannis The blooming season for this species is mainly from spring through autumn and into winter. It is a hot to warm growing epiphyte that comes from north-east Australia and Papua and New Guinea. Naturally occurring in and around rainforests and swamps with scarce winter rain, so it responds well to drier conditions and no fertiliser during the winter months. The long-lasting flowers exhibit glossy, chocolate coloured segments with a contrasting yellow labellum. One undesirable Page 8 The Kalhari June 2014 characteristic that often occurs in this species is the broken-leg appearance to one of the lateral sepals. This is a major issue with some Spatulata species and one that judges must acknowledge when looking at the shape of the flowers. When assessing the two plants benched, it was apparent in one and less apparent in the plant that was chosen as first by the judges. The plant that was relegated to second had the darker colouring of the two; however, the shape of the first was far superior.

Dendrobium Spatulata Type Hybrids 1st Den. John's Charm ‘Bruno’ Of the plants that were benched in this class, Den. John’s Charm ‘Bruno’ exhibited well-shaped flowers that were evenly arranged on all 5 racemes. The twisting and undulation of the floral segments were consistent across each raceme and these are some of the major considerations the judges look for when assessing Spatulata type flowers.

Benching Report Marilyn Corbin

Den. Mini Pearl was 1st in the Spatulata/Phalaenanthe Hybrid Section, this is a primary hybrid between Dendrobium canaliculatum x bigibbum. This plant was not very large and only had a few flowers. The bigibbum gave width to the petals and sepals and took the twists out of the canaliculatum petals and sepals, the colour was also a very intense purple and the labellum was slightly darker. This should be a very good plant when it gets a bit bigger.

Dendrobium lawesii was the only plant in other Dendrobium species section on the night. This plant had 4 crystalline red tubular flowers and it really deserved 1st place. This species comes from New Guinea and is very variable in colour ranging from white, yellow, salmon, purple, mauve, orange, red and very rarely bicolour. It needs warm conditions with about 70% humidity during summer and autumn with slightly lower humidity during winter when water is reduced.

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Den. Wasyl is a cross between Den. speciosum x Edda which is made up of 50% speciosum, 25% bifalce, 25% tetragonum. This was the only plant in other Dendrobium hybrid section on the night even so it deserved 1st place as it was very well grown with about 10 flowers and a couple of buds still to open. The flowers were a little starry as with many hybrids made with tetragonum. The labellum was cream with purple spotting. This was a very nice hybrid.

Oberonia titania was 1st in the Miscellaneous Species Section. We do not see this species on the benches very often. This was a very well grown and flowered plant. There were about 7 racemes of hundreds of red flowers and still more to come out, the flowers may be very small but very beautiful when you look at them through a magnifying glass or Graham’s enlarged photos. This species is found in the rainforest around Brisbane and is locally common but being so small can be very hard to find unless in flower.

Cadetia taylorii was 2nd in the Miscellaneous Species Section. We see quite a number of these on the benches. This was a very well grown plant and had a number of white crystalline flowers. This species has 1-2 flowers, produced in sporadic bursts and is found in North Queensland and New Guinea and is a wonderful orchid to have in your collection because it can have flowers most of the year. Page 10 The Kalhari June 2014 May Mount Mee Orchid Amble Report David James The May 2014 monthly orchid amble commenced at the Gantry day-use area in the Mount Mee section of the D’Aguilar National Park on Sunday 25 May 2104 at around 9:00 am.

There were seven orchid amblers. The amblers were Marilyn Corbin, Graham Corbin, Roger Finn, Judith Lukin-Amundsen, Pam Porteous, Trevor Porteous and myself.

The amblers drove down Peggs, Byron Creek and Dianas Bath Roads stopping at likely locations to observe orchids on the roadsides. The amblers arrived at the Dianas Bath parking area at around 12:30 pm for lunch followed by the walk to and from Dianas Bath. Yes, this time the tributary of Byron Creek was dry and the walking track to Dianas Bath was accessible to the orchid ambles.

Dianas Bath (pool in Byron Creek)

The amblers saw thousands of leaves and/or rosettes of Acianthus, Chiloglottis, Corybas and Pterostylis species plus plants of Cymbidium suave, Dendrobium aemulum, Dendrobium monophyllum, Dendrobium speciosum var. hillii and Dendrobium tetragonum var. tetragonum. Nine flowering orchid species was seen during the amble. The flowering orchids seen were Acianthus exsertus, Acianthus fornicatus, Chiloglottis sp. Mango Flats, Corybas barbarae, Dendrobium linguiforme (Dockrillia linguiformis), Dendrobium monophyllum, Pterostylis baptistii, Pterostylis nutans, Pterostylis ophioglossa and Pterostylis sp. Joyners Ridge.

Chiloglottis sp. Mango Flats and Pterostylis sp. Joyners Ridge are known undescribed species that are sometimes recognized as phrase named taxa. The phrase name is generally the locality that the undescribed species was first collected or observed.

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Acianthus exsertus Acianthus fornicatus

Chiloglottis sp. Mango Flats

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Corybas barbarae Pterostylis nutans

Pterostylis baptistii

Pterostylis ophioglossa is named for the forked tip to the labellum.

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Pterostylis ophioglossa Pterostylis sp. Joyners Ridge

Pterostylis sp. Joyners Ridge has some features similar to Pterostylis russellii and Pterostylis obtusa but it is not either of these species as the flowers of Pterostylis russellii are generally larger and the labellum in wider and well above the sinus in the set position. Pterostylis obtusa has a green labellum and a rolled edge to the sinus.

Pterostylis russellii Pterostylis obtusa Page 14 The Kalhari June 2014 Saprophytic Orchids Roger Finn Epiphytic orchids live on trees. Lithophytic orchids can be found growing on rocks, boulders and cliff faces. Some orchids are both epiphytic and lithophytic as they can grow not only on trees but also on rocks. Terrestrial orchids grow in the soil. These are the orchids that we see on the benches at meetings and shows. There is another group of orchids that will never be brought to shows or meetings – the saprophytes. These are the lesser known orchids.

Saprophytes are leafless plants that lack chlorophyll and survive by an intimate symbiotic relationship with a mycorrhizal fungus in it roots. Without chlorophyll saprophytes cannot photosynthesize to produce the carbohydrates, proteins, sugars and other energy rich compounds necessary for plant growth and reproduction.

Instead they rely on the symbiotic fungus to digest and transport substances to their roots. These materials are obtained from organic matter decaying in the soil. Saprophytic orchids are often found in humus rich soils where decaying organic matter provides a rich source of carbon which is utilized by the mycorrhizal fungus. Some saprophytes depend on a complex interchange between its roots, a symbiotic mycorrhizal fungus and the live roots of a host plant – usually belonging to a species of the Eucalypt family. Thus saprophytes cannot be transposed to a culture in an orchid house.

Saprophytes have a pallid appearance which can be masked by reddish or brownish pigments. They have an underground rhizome which may have roots emanating from it. These roots can be fleshy and brittle. When conditions are right, saprophytes send up their fleshy stems which are topped by flowers that open progressively. Thus their presence can be seen for some time. Of course there are exceptions to the above. Nothing in Nature follows general rules.

Genus Dipodium - 9 species Most Dipodium species are saprophytes with a subterranean rhizome from which short fleshy, brittle roots emanate. They live in symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi and a host plant, usually an Eucalypt species, growing nearby. When conditions are right in the spring or summer a fleshy stem appears above the ground and grows up to 100cm (depending upon the species) with up to 50 flowers (again depending upon the species) opening sequentially.

Dipodium variegatum is widespread and common and ranges from the Windsor Tableland in Queensland through New South Wales to Eastern Victoria. It can be found in open forest, woodland and in heathland in well drained soils. Plants can develop more than one flower stem and the flowers open progressively from several stems. Plants live in a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi and a host plant, usually an Eucalypt species, growing nearby. Dipodium spp. are collectively known as the “hyacinth orchids”.

Genus Aphyllorchis – 2 species Plants live in association with mycorrhizal fungi and possibly a host plant. The roots are fleshy and brittle and radiate from a subterranean rhizome. A fleshy stem emerges with up to 40 flowers which open sequentially.

Genus Burnettia – 1 species

Page 15 The Kalhari June 2014 This species is a little different for the stem has several basal bract-like leaves with up to seven flowers at the peak. B. cuneata grows in densely shrubby swamps containing thickets of Melaleuca squarrosa and Leptospermum spp. Flowers appear after hot summer fires.

Genus Demorchis – 1 species Plants have a short fleshy rhizome with fibrous roots. Stems are short and brittle, tipped with one or two flowers. Plants survive in symbiotic association with mycorrhizal fungi.

Genus Didomoplexis – 1 species Plants have a swollen fleshy rhizome and a pale fleshy flower stem. Flowers last less than a day.

Genus Epipogum - 1 species Plants have a swollen fleshy rhizome sending up a pale inflorescence topped with numerous pendulous pale yellow to brown flowers. This species occurs in high rainfall areas. Stems appear rapidly in summer after soaking rains. The flowers last only a few days.

Genus Erythorchis – 1 species Plants have an extensive root system taking full advantage of decaying vegetation and rotting stumps and logs. Amazingly stems up to five metres in length ramble over stumps, logs or up trees. Flowers are on short branches.

Erythorchis cassythoides is widespread and common and can be found from the Blackdown Tableland in Queensland to Waterfall in New South Wales. It grows in open forests, particularly where there is an accumulation of decaying vegetation, rotting stumps and logs. In spring, several dark brown stems appear and ramble over stumps and logs and climb trees. The stems are branched and four or five flowers appear on each branch. Stems maybe up to five metres in length! This is known as the “boot lace orchid”.

Genus Gastroda – 7 species These species are collectively known as the potato orchids for they have rootless fleshy rhizomes that can look like a potato. They grow in forested areas especially where litter accumulates The stems are fleshy, brown in colour, and topped with many pendulous bell like flowers which are brown on the outer and white on the inside.

Gastroda seasmoides ranges from the Darling Downs in Queensland south through New South Wales, ACT, Victoria to and South Australia. It is widespread and common and found in forested areas and coastal scrubs. This species is one of the “potato orchids” because they have a rootless fleshy rhizome that can look like a potato. Stems, a light brown colour, emerge in summer and are tipped with up to twenty-five flowers that are light brown on the outside and white on the inside.

Envy - Protection of Orchids from Frost and Heat Damage and its Use When Deflasking Frank Simpson This article was provided by Frank much earlier in the year. The "Recent extremely hot weather in the Sydney area" discussed in this article was the late Summer of 1995. This should now be appropriate for the upcoming late Spring and Summer.

Page 16 The Kalhari June 2014 Recent extremely hot weather in the Sydney area has taken its toll on many orchids through dehydration, mainly through the leaves. However, an article in a recent issue of the Orchidophile (ANOS Sydney) states that this has been reduced to a minimum thanks to a relatively new product called ENVY.

We and a number of other nurseries have been using Envy for deflasking purposes for some time with good success. Instructions are to dip the plants into a 1 part Envy to 20 parts water mix. Envy is a water soluble polymer similar to car polish which seals leaves to prevent transpiration. As it is not recommended on the roots of plants, we pot first (when deflasking) and spray the plants thoroughly with a 500ml trigger spray being sure to cover both sides of the leaves.

Envy is also useful for preventing frost burn and sun scald. The rate of application to prevent frost burn and sun scald would be 1 part ENVY to 10 parts water. The plants should then be thoroughly sprayed on all surfaces to the point of drip-off. As the coating will last only a few days it will be necessary to repeat the applications when the plants face stress (e.g. extremely hot conditions or then freezing is expected).

We purchase our Envy from the manufacturer, Spray Tech, at Nerang in 5 litre containers. I am not certain, but it may be available in 1 litre bottles. I also think it is available in Caboolture from Elders.

ENVY is a very good product when used correctly.

Reprinted from Kalhari, October 1995. At the Veranda Session last meeting, I mentioned using Envy to help my Den. bigibbums cope with the stress of cold in the on coming winter. There were a few raised eyebrows. I found the above by chance and I share it with you. Roger Finn What’s Flowering in the Bush Graham Corbin With the recent unseasonal warm weather, our orchids are confused and not flowering as they wait for Autumn to begin, not Winter as is indicated by our calendar. Geophytic orchids which should be flowering have not even emerged and no leaves are present above ground.

This is the situation which we found at Bellthorpe National Park. In areas where we expected to find heaps of flowering orchids, we found nothing, not even leaves. In one area where literally thousands of Acianthus fornicatus grow, we found virtually no leaves. In a ‘normal’ year, this area is a solid mass of leaves topped with inflorescences. Instead, there was only a handful of leaves found after extensive searching even though this species is near the end of its usual flowering period and should be flowering everywhere. It is indeed a strange year for orchid flowering.

Acianthus fornicatus is usually a very common orchid at Bellthorpe and there should be plenty of flowering orchids of this species. We did indeed eventually find some leaves and flowers but only tens of leaves instead of thousands of leaves and just two flowering plants. This is just a fraction of what is expected of Acianthus fornicatus at Bellthorpe at this time of year.

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Acianthus fornicatus

Other species were also impacted by our strangely warm weather. A location where Pterostylis ophioglossa grows revealed nothing, not even a leaf. At this time of year, I would expect to find tens of plants in flower. If you refer to the Dianna’s Bath bushwalk report, you will see that there were plenty of Pterostylis ophioglossa found flowering, so it was strange to not see even a leaf at this location.

There were some species flowering as usual however. We did find Pterostylis russellii flowering in reasonable numbers. I have never found this species to be very common, but we did find quite a number of plants in bud, a few finished flowers forming pods and two plants with fresh flowers. This is quite a distinctive orchid with it long petals, long galea and long dark labellum protruding well past the sinus.

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Pterostylis russellii

The flower on the left was a typical flower with a 30cm tall inflorescence. The flower on the right was unusual in that it was very pale and the inflorescence was a mere 5cm tall, much shorter than the usual 30cm inflorescence. Possibly, this was another impact of the warm weather but we will never really know.

Pterostylis baptistii is another common orchid in the area which flowers through most of the year, from March through to November. The peak flowering period is April and September with just the occasional plants flowering in winter. We did find numerous plants with a few finished flower and forming pods and a few in bud and just a few in flower, typical of what we would expect for this time of year. The flower photographed was unfortunately not particularly fresh and had a triggered labellem, not the best example for photography, but the best flower of this species located on the day.

Pterostylis nutans is another species which flowers most of the year, the same as Pterostylis baptistii, from March to November. There were plenty of plants in flower and with their nodding flowers, they are unmistakable.

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Pterostylis baptistii Pterostylis nutans

The highlight of the day was the Corybas. We planned to visit this area to see the Corybas aconitiflorus and Corybas barbarae which grow in the area. As always, there is no guarantee of success and always the chance of finding a different Corybas species in flower which we have previously not found in this area.

Our first surprise was that there were very few Corybas barbarae leaves and even less flowers. This species is very common at Bellthorpe and forms large matts of leaves. This year, there are very few leaves evident and we only managed to find a few plants in flower. When in flower, this species is easily seen as the glistening white flowers stand out on the green leaves like small white snails sitting on the Corybas leaf.

This species has an interesting history. It was only described by David Jones in 1988, a very recent discovery for such a widespread and common orchid. Prior to this time, it was considered a pale form of Corybas aconitiflorus which was described in 1807 by the English botanist Richard Salisbury.

Reading the descriptions, there is not a lot to separate these two species, so the confusion is understandable. The leaves of both species are similar in shape, size and colour except Corybas aconitiflorus is purplish under the leaf whereas Corybas barbarae is silvery green or reddish beneath. In my experience, Corybas barbarae is always greenish under the leaf in south east Queensland, so this is the first difference. The second and most obvious difference is the flower colour. Corybas barbarae has a sparkling white flower whereas Corybas aconitiflorus has a greyish purple to redish purple flower. A third difference is the flowers of Corybas aconitiflorus have narrow flowers when viewed from the top, just 10 to 12mm wide, whereas Corybas barbarae has a much wider flower at 15 to 20mm wide. Lastly, there is a technical difference in the flowers in that the bristles on the labellum of Corybas aconitiflorus are relatively sparse compared to the dense bristles of Corybas barbarae. This difference is difficult to see as the bristles are microscopic and the labellum is mostly hidden by the dorsal .

Page 20 The Kalhari June 2014 Even given the small differences, when both species are seen in the wild, the differences are unmistakable. Firstly, there is a distinct colour difference in the flowers. Corybas barbarae has a glistening white flower whereas Corybas aconitiflorus has a grey pink flower. The most obvious difference is in the flower shape when viewed from above. Corybas barbarae has a relatively wide flower making the flower appear almost round from above. Corybas aconitiflorus has quite a thin flower from above, less than half as wide as high, giving the flower a very thin appearance from above, quite different from the profile of Corybas barbarae. Lastly, when viewed with a magnifying glass, the bristles on the labellum of Corybas aconitiflorus are indeed much more sparse than the dense bristles of Corybas barbarae.

There are other differences between these species, not to be found in the field guides. Corybas barbarae grows in quite open conditions where the grass is very sparse or non- existent. While it needs a moist area to grow, it generally favours relatively dryer areas on the red brown soil areas at Bellthorpe. Corybas aconitiflorus on the other hand prefers quite different conditions. It grows in moister conditions in heavily grassed areas where it hides under the grass making it quite difficult to locate. It also grows exclusively on yellow clay like soil areas and never in the red brown soil areas. The difference in habitat requirements means that you never find these two species growing together as their habitat preferences is just too different.

Given the obvious differences between these two species, I am surprised that it took so long to separate these two species. I would have thought that taxonomists would have at least described these two species as varieties of Corybas aconitiflorus, not just mention a pale form in passing in the guides. It just goes to show that there is much still to learn and document about our wonderful orchids.

Corybas aconitiflorus Corybas barbarae Flower Grey Pink Flower glistening white

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Corybas aconitiflorus Corybas barbarae Flower width less than half its length Flower width approaching its length

Corybas aconitiflorus Corybas barbarae Sparse bristles on labellum Dense bristles on labellum

The orchids we found in flower were:- Acianthus fornicatus Corybas aconitiflorus Corybas barbarae Pterostylis baptistii Pterostylis nutans Pterostylis russellii

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