Orchids in fight back

By Kath Gannaway
MARTY White has found himself with an orchid situation he couldn’t be happier about.
The Shire of Yarra Ranges’ Biodiversity Conservation coordinator said two species of native orchid have been found thriving in two garden beds managed by the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
Native orchids, notoriously difficult to grow in a nursery environment, but, surrounded by mulch and exotic azaleas, Tall Potato Orchid (Gastrodia procera) has popped up outside the council chambers at Lilydale and another species, Cinnamon Bells (Gastrodia sesamoides) has been found at the Montrose Community Fire Garden.
Mr White said the orchids are usually found in dense leaf litter in bushland settings and it was unusual to see them growing and thriving in a garden bed.
“I have spoken to several leading experts in Botany who believe that the orchids were not from original remnant plants that were here prior to the garden beds being established, but rather that the seeds had been transported in either mulch material or via wind blown seed,” Mr White said.
“However, as the shire offices are surrounded by an urban environment for some distance, we would be curious to know where the parent plants might be and how far the seed might have travelled.
“It’s funny because most of the time when I am investigating a species that has invaded a garden bed, it is a weed. This is like the natives fighting back.”
The locations of this indigenous orchid will be reported to the Department of Sustainability and Environment so the records can be added to the statewide flora information system.