Website of Tobias Westmeier

Notes

The Slender Hammer Orchid is one of the more common and widespread species of Hammer Orchid. Like all Hammer Orchids, it is endemic to south-western WA where it occurs in scattered populations from north of Perth to east of Albany. The peak flowering period is late winter to early spring. Unlike other Hammer Orchids it is not restricted to sandy soils, but can also be found in lateritic and gravelly soils in forests and woodland, for example on the Darling Scarp east of Perth.

While looking fairly similar to the Warty Hammer Orchid (Drakaea livida), the Slender Hammer Orchid is easily distinguished by its uniformly coloured labellum without warts. The shape and size of the labellum is also slightly different. In places where the Slender Hammer Orchid and the Warty Hammer Orchid grow together, hybrids are occasionally encountered. They combine characteristics from both species and can be difficult to classify.

Photos

References

• Drakaea gracilis in the Australian Plant Name Index
• Drakaea gracilis in the Atlas of Living Australia
• Drakaea gracilis in the Western Australian FloraBase