Among the many wildflowers in Western Australia, there are around four hundred species of orchids.

Early identifications One of the first botanists to study Western Australia was Archibald Menzies, aboard HMS Discovery, who explored King George Sound in 1791. Many of the samples (including orchids) were lost in the return to England, but those that did survive were documented in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen, published by Robert Brown in 1810.

The first three orchids from Western Australia to be named were Caladenia menziesii (now Leptoceras menziesii), Caladenia flava, and Diuris longifolia.

In 1802 Robert Brown himself collected 500 specimens of flora from Western Australia, including: Diuris emarginata var. emarginata Diuris emarginata var. pauciflora Diuris setacea Epiblema grandiflorum Microtis alba Microtis media Microtis pulchella Prasophyllum gibbosum Prasophyllum macrostachyum Thelymitra canaliculata Thelymitra tigrina Thelymitra fuscolutea

In West Australian Orchids (1930), Emily Pelloe described and illustrated an extensive survey. She provided an English text, paintings, and drawings for the amateur reader, a mixture of impression and scientific illustration of the genera.

Orchids of South Western Australia

Common nameGenusNo. species in southwest W.A.RemarksBabe-in-a-cradle Epiblema1 Beard orchids Calochilus6Blue orchids Cyanicula11 Bunny orchids Eriochilus6 Donkey orchid Diuris~36Duck orchids Paracaleana13Elbow orchid Spiculaea1 Enamel orchids Elythranthera2 Fairy orchid Pheladenia1 Fire orchids Pyrorchis2 also Beak orchidsGreenhoods Pterostylis~90 Hammer orchids Drakaea10 Hare orchid Leporella1 Helmet orchids Corybas4 Leafless orchid Praecoxanthus1 Leek orchids Prasophyllum25Mignonette orchids Microtis14also Onion orchidMosquito orchids Cyrtostylis5 Potato orchids Gastrodia1 also Bell orchidPygmy orchidCorunastylis1 Rabbit orchid Leptoceras1 Rattle beaks Lyperanthus1 Slipper orchids Cryptostylis1also Tongue orchidSouth African orchids Disa bracteata1 introducedSpider orchids Caladenia125 Sugar orchidEricksonella1Sun orchids Thelymitra37Underground orchids Rhizanthella1

This table has its source as the Second Edition of Hoffman and Brown in 1992

References

Further reading

External links The Species Orchid Society of Western Australia (Inc) — a gallery of orchids from Western Australia Orchids from Western and South Australia Terrestrial orchids of the south west western australia Orchid Conservation Coalition