King Greenhood orchid, Pterostylis baptistii
Image: Colin Rowan
Source: Colin Rowan
Delicate native orchids are now flowering in the Melbourne Museum Discovery Centre, courtesy of the Live Exhibits Horticulture team.
These orchids are also on show in the Forest Gallery in the snake display area while the erstwhile resident Tiger Snake is in the more comfortable climate of the Live Exhibits lab over the winter months.
(Interestingly, the snake display is the only place in the Forest Gallery that offers the orchids protection from the sharp beaks of the rampaging Bower Birds.)
The species of orchid on display are terrestrial and are common in the cool moist forests around Melbourne. They are colony forming so it is common to find large numbers of them together.
Their distinctive shape is a well adapted lure, attracting minute insects such as fungus gnats and mosquitoes to pollinate them. The species displayed are:
- Pterostylis curta, the Blunt Greenhood
- Pterostylis baptistii, the King Greenhood, and
- Taurantha concinna, the Trim Greenhood
The presence of orchids in the forest often indicates a healthy eco-system, frequently growing in association with specific fungi that help to supply their nutrients. These orchids will often disappear when an area becomes degraded as a result of grazing or weed infestation.
Orchids respond strongly to weather conditions. In harsh drought years they may not even grow, let alone flower. However, when rainfall is good they will grow in abundance and flower en-masse. Good growth years allow orchids to build up an energy supply that is held in underground tubers similar to a mini potato.
Local Aboriginal people utilised fire to encourage orchid growth as a food resource, as they provided an important source of carbohydrates in the tuber.
The orchids are displayed courtesy of the Australian Native Orchid Society.