Sarcochilus australis (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1863 SECTION Calcares

Flower Closeup Photo by Eric Hunt, plant grown by Ron Parsons.

Plant in situ Photo by © John Varigos and His Orchid webpage

Common Name The Southern Sarcochilus [Southernmost Epiphyte in Australia] - In Australia The Butterfly Orchid - Gunn's Tree Orchid

Flower Size .6 to .75" [1.6 to 1.8 cm]

Found in New South Wales and Victoria Australia, as well as Tasmania, at elevations sea level to 1000 meters in fern gullies adn gorges and on stream banks in rainforests as a miniature sized, pendant to porrect, cool growing epiphyte with a short, monopodial stem carrying to 15, normally less, linear to falcate, coriaceous, slightly twisted leaves that blooms in the spring with 2 to 15, fragrant flowers on a pendulous, to 4" [10 cm] long, racemose inflorescence.

Synonyms *Gunnia australis Lindl. 1834; Gunnia picta Lindl. 1838; Sarcochilus barklyanus F.Muell. 1859; Sarcochilus gunnii F.Muell. . 1859; Sarcochilus pictus (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1863; Thrixspermum australe (Lindl.) Rchb.f. . 1863; Thrixspermum pictum (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1868

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Australia Riley & Banks 2002; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1865 as Thrixspermum pictum; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1865 as Thrixspermum australe; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 4 1966; Orchids of Australia Nicholls 1969 drawing fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1B lieferung 22 1329 - 1392 Brieger 1989 drawing good; Orchid Australia Vol 11 No 2 1999 photo; Orchid Australia Vol 12 No 5 2000 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 71 No 8 2002 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 71 No 5 2006 photo; Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 72 No 1 2007 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #12 2016 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #8 2017 photo plant only; Orchid Digest Vol 82 #3 2018 photo fide;

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