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Scientific Name
Gastrodia sesamoides
Family Name
ORCHIDACEAE
Common Name
Potato Orchid
Status
Height
0.12m - 0.5m (12-50cm)
Flowers
inflorescence apex strongly hooked in bud and relatively few uncrowded flowers to 20mm long.
Fruit
Papery capsule
Form
Slender leafless orchid with a brown scape.
Municipalities
Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Highlands; Circular Head; Derwent Valley; Dorset; Flinders Island; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Hobart; Huon Valley; Kingborough; Latrobe; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; Southern Midlands; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar
Communities
Dry Eucalypt Forest and Woodland; Heath
Habitat Notes
Tall open eucalypt forest, heathy open forest and shrubby woodland, tea tree scrub and heathland on moderately to well-drained sandy and clay soils. Widespread and locally fairly common in lowland areas, mainly in the drier coastal region, but occasionally extending to higher altitudes and areas with higher rainfall. Also in Qld, NSW, ACT and Vic.
Site Tolerance
Dry; Exposed; Moist; Shady
Frost Tolerance
Moderate
Soil Tolerance
Clay; Loam; Sandy; Well-drained
General Notes
self-pollinating. Favours fire prone habitats and flowering is strongly promoted by summer fires. Well represented in reserves. Suitable below powerlines.
Propagation Details
Propagation Calendar
Flowering Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seed Collecting Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sowing Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Cutting Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seed Information
Seed Collection
Seed Treatment Method
Standard
Seed Storage Life
Viable Seeds Per Gram
Seed Treatment Notes
Orchid seeds are very minute yellow, brown or blackish dust-like particles. Orchid seeds are produced within a capsule that splits at maturity and releases tousands to millions of seeds. Dispersed by wind and water and only germinate following infection of the embryo by a suitable mycorrhizal fungus. Very few seeds become mature plants. For more information see Jones, Wapstra, Tonelli, Harris (1999): The Orchids of Tasmania.
Germination Time
Suitable for Direct Seeding
Cuttings
Expected Time to Take Root
Expected Time to Plant Out
Propagation by Division
N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.
Cutting Notes
Copyright 2000-2009, Understorey Network Incorporated. Updated 2024-10-14
Database development and website design by
Andrew Smith