Journal Number 96
August 2005

AUSTRALIAN NOTES

Victorian Treasures
By Alan W Stephenson
- from ANOS Illawara March 2005

No chance trip this time, this one was organised. My daughter and her partner had informed my wife and me they were moving to Broome (W.A.) to work and were only taking what they could carry on a plane. I arranged to store their bulky goods in country Victoria at the home of a brother with a large empty shed. This coincided well with an AOC meeting which I was scheduled to attend in Melbourne.

In the normal run of E-mail activity, I was in contact with Dean Rouse of the ANU who informed me he would be in the Genoa district with Michael Duncan of Melbourne, during the weekend I was travelling. They were to undertake orchid surveys in the area, so we agreed to meet on a Sunday morning.

I left Nowra at 4.45 am, had breakfast in Eden and located the pair by mobile phone at Genoa
about 9am. After speaking with Michael he said, "If you haven't seen Petalochilus aurantiaca
(Syn. Caladenia aurantiaca) you had better be quick as Dean is going to pick the flower to study in Canberra". Therefore, after locating the nominated track, I walked quickly for almost two kilometres until we met. Only two plants were available, so I hurriedly photographed one and we returned to the vehicles to see Arachnorchis tessellata (Syn. Caladenia tessellata).

I had looked for this species in the Huskisson area several times, without success, as it is most likely extinct in the general Jervis Bay area and I would be prepared to go anywhere to see a plant in flower. This usually happens when forests of Pinus radiata are planted over its habitat.

Before I saw A. tessellata, we saw and photographed Chiloglottis valida, Pterostylis nutans
and Glossodia major in flower, with leaves of other Chiloglottis species noted and at least
two species of Thelymitra in tight bud.

In a few minutes we were at the site of A. tessellata, A. sp. aff. fitzgeraldii, Diuris pardina, Stegostylis clarkiae (Syn. Caladenia clarkiae) and the mysterious Thelymitra mathewsii. Unfortunately, T mathewsii had recently finished flowering but Michael opened the flower sufficiently to see the beautiful, veined, deep violet colour of this strange species, which has a leaf like a coiled spring. Also in flower was a form of A. tentaculata, which was similar to, yet different from, the many other forms of this variable species.

Then a short walk to see the local form of Dockrillia striolata beside a small waterfall. This area
is inhabited by black snakes and numerous water dragons and two of these were engaged in a show of superiority, lifting their heads and endeavouring to appear larger and more impressive than each other.

Three well spent hours later I had seen five species which were new to me, so quite contentedly
I continued my interrupted trip with more than half my journey yet to go.

The next day I contacted an old school friend (Margaret McCulley) and arranged for a walk
through a Heath Land Reserve in my old hometown of Wonthaggi. This area contains some
rare species of Arachnorchis and numerous other species of note.

Immediately the walk began, we encountered A. fragrantissima subsp. orientalis, Diuris orientis and two Thelymitra species in bud. A. parva was the next species and it is similar to A. tentaculata but plants are smaller with a single flower. They are minute but the pollinators can pick the differences.

A large colony of Pyrorchis nigricans leaves was seen but apart from one deceased plant, no
flowers were visible. Two distinct forms of Prasophyllum elation were seen, one a darkish form
but the other was an alba type, something I had not seen before, along with what I identified
(correctly or incorrectly) as P. frenchii, another species new to me. Also in the same vicinity
was a single plant of Thel. ixioides, partially open but enough to photograph.

Then came a darkish form of Lyperanthus suaveolens and two old favourites, Pterostylis nutans and Glossodia major. The weather was fine but not warm enough to have all the Thelymitra open but we did manage to see Thel. flexuosa, a small (10 mm) yellow species not seen in NSW. Then we encountered a Thelymitra species in a cage of gutter guard, obviously to protect it from the local Macropod population. It looked a very robust plant with a large number of buds and not being familiar with the local species, identification was impossible.

Michael had given me some GPS figures to look for plants of Arachnorchis fragrantissima (two subspecies), which also were in cages, as these plants are very rare and known from only a few sites. The plants were located and these are the same group of plants I had seen four years prior but this time I was able to take digital photos as well as the normal slides. These are absolutely beautiful specimens and photographing them was a pleasure.

At the same time as we came upon a large expanse of A. tentaculata we also saw two plants of
A. cardiochila. One colony of A. tentaculata numbered 20 plants in a half a square metre. These were in various stages of flowering with many plants exhibiting two flowers. A. cardiochila has a heart-shaped labellum, from whence it gets its name. Some confusion surrounds these particular plants, as they might actually be A. tessellata. I am also informed by a higher authority, the A. fragrantissima subsp. fragrantissima is an unidentified species. (Confusion reigns.)

During the walk, we constantly encountered one species throughout many sections of the Heath Land. Diuris orientis is a very colourful orchid but I did notice it was not in the more protected areas, only in those areas subject to good breezes, which came directly from Bass Strait, only one kilometre away.

This reserve is the subject of constant study by at least two local persons with more than a passing interest in protecting the rare species within its boundaries. Numerous scientists from the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment also visit regularly. I recommend a walk, as it will definitely enlighten most orchid lovers but please exercise best conservation practices.