Plant of interest
Phaius. australis.
Photo courtesy of Gary Yong Gee.
This genus is the largest of our native orchids with racemes growing to
one metre in length bearing up to sixteen blooms. The colours range from
yellowish green to a rusty brown shade. Ten to fifteen centimetre flowers are
borne in spring to early summer and are seen to last for weeks as they flower sequentially.
Distribution is along the coastline from central New South Wales to peninsular
of north Queensland and also in the Pacific Islands, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
The habitat preferred is moist to wet ground hence the orchid is sometimes
referred to as the swamp orchid.
The plants can be grown easily in orchid house cultivation provided it is kept moist in a semi shaded situation.
Phaius. australias var. bensayii
Photo courtesy of Gary Yong Gee.