Plants of
South Australia
Spiranthes australis
Orchidaceae
Lady's Tresses,
Austral Lady's Tresses
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
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Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
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Oodnadatta
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Wudinna
Keith
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 3

Prior names

Spiranthes sinensis, partly

Spiranthes sinensis ssp. australis, partly

Neottia australis, partly

Common names

Lady's Tresses

Austral Lady's Tresses

Etymology

Spiranthes from the Greek 'speira' meaning spiral and 'anthos' meaning flower, referring to the spiral arrangement of the flowers in the spike. Australis from Latin meaning southern, referring to the species southern distribution in Australia.

Distribution and status

Found only in the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, growing in damp depressions, swamps or on seasonally inundated stream-banks. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in Queensland and Tasmania. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect terrestrial orchid with 3-10 linear to lanceolate,dark green leaves to 18 cm long and slender flowering stem to 45 cm tall. Inflorescence a dense spike with 10-60, bright pink to white flowers crowded and spirally arranged. Dorsal  sepal lance-shaped to egg-shaped, to 5 mm long and 2.5 mm wide. Lateral sepals and petals similar in size to the dorsal sepal but narrower. Laballum white with three obscure lobes, grainy in texture and crinkled edges. This species differs from Spiranthes elytra which never have pink flowers, segments which are narrower and short-lived flowers that hardly open, ovaries that rapidly enlarge and small labellum which is never broad and frilly. Flowering between December and February. Fruits are pale brown papery ellipsoid capsules along the spike. Seeds are very small orange-brown ellipsoid with a long cylindrical translucent brown mesh-like covering.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between February and April. Collect fat capsules as they start to dry and turn brown. Pods will split and release the seeds quickly and will require monitoring. To increase the chances of collecting mature pods, it is recommended that a small breathable bag (ie. Organza bags) 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 in liquid nitrogen.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA380,000 (0.386 g)17K. Brewer
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-201690%-80°C
BGA3,069,000 (2.640 g)40+4-Mar-2021DJD4017
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-2021N/C-18°C, -80°C
BGA126,600 (0.109 g)630-Mar-2022DJD4017
Southern Lofty
10-Aug-2022N/C-18°C, -80°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.