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Project Noah Nature School
Glossodia major
A small terrestrial orchid with single, double or more rarely three or more blossoms (15-25mm wide) on a single stalk. The primary color is mauve to mid-purple, but pure white to maroon-purple flowers are also found in this species. A single leaf lies just at ground level and is visible all-year-round, even though the plant may only send up a flower stalk every few years.
Dry sclerophyll bush land.
Late winter rains can cause them to bloom in the thousands on our property, but most years we get only a few hundred. There is only one other orchid in this genus - Glossodia minor. The Glossodia major photo in the linked Wikipedia entry is the same as the first one in this series.
Spotted on Oct 18, 2008
Submitted on Feb 9, 2011
2 Comments
I'm very privileged to have all of this just outside my back door. Even when I'm sitting at the computer I can see and hear dozens of birds (a yellow-throated honey-eater just flew by) and see almost all of our property (the house is up high in relation to our acreage). Even just stepping though the sliding glass doors is an adventure in insect life. Last evening we had hundreds of moths and lacewings come to the windows. When I get a chance, I send you a photo of my view.
How beautiful series.