Sugar Orchid
Ericksonella saccharata
Synonyms
- Caladenia saccharata
Notes
The Sugar Orchid is one of the most common and widespread orchids of south-western Australia. It is found throughout the Wheatbelt and adjacent Goldfields from Paynes Find in the north to the Stirling Range in the south and from the western edge of the Wheatbelt in the west to Norseman and Cape Arid in the east. It is often extremely abundant, in particular in seasons of good winter rainfall. Flowering in August and September, Sugar Orchids grow in a wide range of different soil types and habitats and are particularly common in Wandoo woodland, Sheoak thickets and adjacent to seasonal salt lakes and gullies.
Due to their small size, the orchids can be difficult to find despite their white colour and the fact that they often grow in otherwise barren ground without any other vegetation around them. They often share their habitat with other common Wheatbelt orchids, most notably the Little Pink Fairy Orchid (Caladenia reptans) and the Frog Greenhood (Pterostylis sargentii). While the Sugar Orchid might look superficially similar to the Leafless Orchid (Praecoxanthus aphyllus), which is also endemic to south-western Australia, the two species cannot possibly be confused due to their vastly different sizes, largely disjunct geographic ranges and entirely different flowering times.
Photos
References
- Ericksonella saccharata in the Australian Plant Name Index
- Ericksonella saccharata in the Atlas of Living Australia
- Ericksonella saccharata in the Western Australian FloraBase