Slender Onion Orchid
Microtis parviflora
Notes
The Slender Onion Orchid is a rather inconspicuous species characterised by a long, slender flower stalk with tiny, widely-spaced green flowers and a single long leaf. It flowers in late spring / early summer and grows in damp locations in a variety of habitats. The Slender Onion Orchid is fairly common and widespread and occurs across south-eastern SA, southern VIC, the ACT, eastern NSW, eastern QLD and most of TAS.
The Slender Onion Orchid is very difficult to tell apart from the similar Common Onion Orchid (Microtis unifolia). The easiest way to distinguish between the two species is through the labellum, which is usually heart-shaped with smooth edges in the Slender Onion Orchid, but elongated with crenate edges in the Common Onion Orchid. Unlike the Common Onion Orchid, the Slender Onion Orchid is pollinated by small ants rather than wasps (Jones 1975), which likely explains the differences in the morphology of the labellum between the two species.
Photos
References
- Jones, D. L., 1975, Annals of Botany, 39, 585 (DOI)
- Microtis parviflora in the Atlas of Living Australia
- Microtis parviflora in the New South Wales Flora Online
- Microtis parviflora in the Flora of Victoria
- Microtis parviflora in the Electronic Flora of South Australia