Botanical art
Common names
Rosy Hyacinth-orchid
Pink Hyacinth Orchid
Christmas Orchid
Etymology
Dipodium from the Greek 'dis' meaning twice and 'podion' meaning a small foot, referring to the two stalks of the pollen masses. Roseum from Latin meaning rose-coloured, referring to the flower colour.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in woodland and forest on poor sandy or rocky soils. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in Queensland. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Murray, Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Leafless terrestrial orchid to 90 cm tall with green to dark reddish stems. IInflorescence much shorter than the flowering stem with 15-50 pale pink flowers with small dark red spots. sepals and petals linear to elliptic and free from each other with their tips curved backwards. Labellum pink with dark lines and has three lobes with tips turned upwards. Centre lobe has a broad band of pink to mauve hairs. This species was previously included with D. punctatum and can be distinguish from it by having a broader band of hairs and striping on its labellum, smaller spots and much more recurved sepals and petals while D. punctatum lacks striping on its labellum, has much more pronounced spotting, and has flat or barely recurved sepals and petals. flowering between December and February. Fruits are brown papery ellipsoid capsule. Seeds are very small enclosed in a long narrow mesh-like casing.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between February and March. Collect plump capsules as they start to dry and turn brown. Pods will split and release the seeds quickly however and will require monitoring. To increase the chances of collecting mature pods it is recommended that a small breathable bag (ie. Organza) to be used to enclose the developing capsules. Place the capsules in a container that will hold fine seeds and leave to dry for a few weeks or until the capsule split. Then carefully hold the capsule and tap it gently to release the seeds. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice in an air tight container in a cool and dry place, refrigerator or liquid nitrogen.