Singularybas oblongus
Spider Orchid

PLANT: Terrestrial tuberous herb.
2 to 3cm high when in flower. The floral bract beneath the ovary is very prominent.

LEAVES: Single leaf, thin, ovate - oblong. Usually veined and flecked with red or purple. The margins sometimes undulated.

FLOWER: Usually one, occasionally two. Flower above the leaf. Dorsal sepal slightly longer than the labellum. Lateral sepals and petals long, filiform. Petals shorter than the lateral sepals. Labellum dark crimson, 5 - 10mm long and forming a cylinder. Labellum opening usually oval, pale, and with a fimbriate edge.

FLOWERING TIME: September - December.

HABITAT: Dry sunlit banks to damp shady places. Lowland to sub-alpine.
Favours clay banks and sandstone or limestone bluffs.

CONSERVATION STATUS: Not Threatened.

NOTES: Pale, white, or colourless flowers sometimes occur.