Family Orchidaceae Tribe Cymbidieae Rank Species | ||
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Dipodium stenocheilum, commonly known as tropical hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless mycoheterotroph orchid that is endemic to northern Australia.
Contents
Description
For most of the year, plants are dormant and have no above-ground presence. Below the ground lie fleshy roots. Flower spikes between 40 and 120 cm in height appear between November and March.
Taxonomy
The species was formally described in 1927.
Distribution and habitat
Dipodium stenocheilum occurs in the northern parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Ecology
Pollination of this species, as for all species in the genus, is by native bees and wasps.
Cultivation
No leafless species of Dipodium has been successfully maintained in cultivation due to the inability to replicate the association with mycorrhizal fungi in a horticultural context.