Spotted Hyacinth-Orchid
Dipodium pardalinum
Family Orchidaceae
Endangered — VIC: Endangered, SA: Vulnerable
About
Dipodium pardalinum, commonly known as spotted hyacinth-orchid or leopard hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless hemiparasitic orchid that is endemic to south-eastern Australia.
How to spot it
For most of the year, plants are dormant and have no above-ground presence. Below the ground lie fleshy roots. Flower spikes between 40 and 90 cm in height appear between December and March in the species' native range. These racemose inflorescences have 10 to 40 white to pale pink fleshy flowers with dark red spots or blotches. The tepals are strongly recurved and the three-lobed labellum has a line of white hairs.
Documented on these trails
Found in
- Macedon Regional Park — Melbourne, the Dandenongs & Central Victoria hikes
Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Dipodium pardalinum
Photo via NatureShare (CC-BY), collected by David Francis