Grass Trigger

Description:

This is an erect perennial herb a little over a foot tall with narrow grass like leaves arising from a basal rosette. Flowers appear at the tip of the inflorescence. in this case there was a single flower in bloom. It looked like a aple pink butterfly with four petals. The stamen and pistil are fused and set on a long appendage that was interestingly held close to the flower along the stalk as seen in pic 1 but as I started handling the flower moving it around for a good photo, the appendage or "trigger" shot up to the position seen in pic 2.
The calyx and underside of the corolla were covered with trichomes that are sticky and used to trap insects.

Habitat:

Spotted in a reserve - dry sclerophyll forest. This is a plant native to Australia.

Notes:

A very interesting plant because of the trigger mechanism -I am yet to read about this and its function in pollination. The other aspect is the trichomes which help the plant capture insects to supplement a diet devoid of nutrients as it grows in nutrient-deficient soil.
Now used in floriculture and seeds are available. Its ability to withstand drought and to grow in poor soil makes it an attractive and sought after plant to gardeners.
family: Stylidiaceae