Species Orchid, Pyrorchis, Dark Pyrorchis, Red Beaks, Undertaker Orchid

This is a very attractive orchid, which is quite common on sandy soils in SE Australia, but is not often seen in flower. It is very stron...Read Moregly adapted to fire and when a bush fire passes over, it will often flower profusely. At other times flowers are very uncommon although the large round leaves flat on the ground are distinctive and often seen. It's fire adaptation goes further. When the flowering is complete, the flower stem elongates lifting the seed pods higher to help seed dispersal. A tall green stem in a newly burned area is very tempting to browsing animals, so the plant turns black, leaf, flower stem and seed pod, so that it merges with all the burnt twigs and other stems in the area. This blackening is so built in that it happens to pressed specimens as well making them hard to present well in an herbarium.