Saturday 24 September 2011

Beard confusion

Yesterday I found an orchid in an unlikely spot, next to a pot plant on the edge of our driveway and at first glance at the unopened buds and the stem I thought it was a sun orchid. However on more close inspection there were a couple of differences that indicated a different species and today the first of the flowers opened to reveal a bearded orchid.



I have found a bearded orchid on our property once before and  identified it as a Copper Beard Orchid Calochilus campestis on the strength of bluish plates on the base of the lip. However today's orchid has red plates at the base of the lip so that sent me searching for the identification and found the best match to be the Pale Beard Orchid Calochilus herbaceous. However there seems to be some confusion as a number of sources identifying them as variations of the same orchid. I guess I will get it sorted at some stage but for the moment I will call it  a Pale Beard Orchid.

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