Slipper Orchid
Cryptostylis ovata
Notes
The Slipper Orchid is endemic to south-western Australia, where it can be found between Perth and Bremer Bay. It is the only species of Cryptostylis in WA and for that reason cannot be confused with any other species, even though it looks somewhat similar to the Large Tongue Orchid (Cryptostylis subulata) found in south-eastern Australia. Slipper Orchids are generally common and widespread across the higher-rainfall areas of the south-west. They grow in a variety of different habitats and soils, including forests, woodlands, coastal sand dunes, swamps and soil pockets on granite outcrops.
The Slipper Orchid differs from all other orchid species of south-western WA in a number of ways. To begin with, it is the only orchid to have green leaves all year round, whereas all other orchids of the south-west will only grow leaves during the wet season. On top of that, Slipper Orchids flower during the peak of the summer when all other orchids are dormant. They will readily colonise fallen tree trunks and, in the high-rainfall forests along the south coast, can even be found growing on trees in spite of the fact that they are geophytes rather than epiphytes.
While a single flower stalk can carry over a dozen individual flowers, Slipper Orchids will open their flowers sequentially such that only one or two flowers will normally be open at any one time. As a result of this habit, the flowering period is quite extended, lasting almost half a year from late spring until mid autumn.
Photos
References
- Cryptostylis ovata in the Australian Plant Name Index
- Cryptostylis ovata in the Atlas of Living Australia
- Cryptostylis ovata in the Western Australian FloraBase