Maroon Banded Greenhood Orchid

Urochilus sanguineus, or Maroon Banded Greenhood orchid is a terrestrial native orchid of the Adelaide Hills.

So guess who went on an orchid walk today! As always ti was great fun, and our guide knows the Park like the back of his hand.

Most of these orchids are so tiny, it's a wonder that anybody can see them, and only spot them when someone pokes a finger virtually on them, and "there it is".  I don't know what I'd do without auto focus.  Well, I do know - nothing would be in focus.

If the weather holds I aim to go back and get photos of the other two we saw today, both beautiful in their own right.

Here's the tech notes on today's species.

This species used to be listed as a Pterostylis, and is similar strucurally to the Bunochilus.  Often it is found with Bunochilus, but they have not been known to hybridize.  It has a labellum which is sensitive to touch.  The plant will either produce a flowering stem, or a sterile leaf.
This species flowers from May to September, and can be found in most regions of South Australia, as well as Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.  It is believed that this plant may have originated from the west, as most Urochilus species are endemic to Western Australia.  South Australia only has this species.