Large Mosquito-Orchid
Acianthus exsertus
Family Orchidaceae
About
Acianthus exsertus, commonly known as gnat orchid or large mosquito orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a terrestrial herb with a single, heart-shaped leaf and up to 25 small, fine, dark brown flowers with pinkish and purplish markings and is found growing in sheltered places in forests in Queensland, New South Wales the ACT and Victoria.
How to spot it
Acianthus exsertus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial herb with a single heart-shaped, glabrous, dark green leaf that is reddish-purple on its lower surface. The leaf is 15–40 mm (0.6–2 in) long, 10–30 mm (0.4–1 in) wide. There are from 3 to 25 flowers, well-spaced on a thin raceme, 100–300 mm (4–10 in) tall, each flower 12–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long. The dorsal sepal is linear to egg-shaped, 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, 3 mm (0.12 in) wide with a point 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long with a
Documented on these trails
Found in
- Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve — Canberra & Namadgi National Park hikes