Gastrodia longcolumn
Potato Orchid

PLANT: Erect stem up to 1 metre high and 5-10mm in diameter. Stems blackish-brown to pale brown, usually with streaks or spots. Underground tubers large and extensively branched.

LEAVES: No leaves, only scale leaves widely spaced up the stem.

FLOWERS: Up to 60 knobbly flowers per stem. Each 1.5cm in length. Outer olive-green through to dark brown with lighter coloured raised knobs. Inner flower lightly coloured. Column visible, similar in length to the labellum. Labellum 1cm long, white or cream with a yellow tip. Flowers often fragrant.

FLOWERING TIME: December - January.

HABITAT: Lowland to montane forests and scrub. Often beneath Beech, Kanuka, and Rhododendrons.

CONSERVATION STATUS: Not Threatened.

NOTES: Plants in dark shade often have darker flowers than those growing in well-lit locations.