Communities

Scientific Name

Acianthus caudatus

Family Name

ORCHIDACEAE

Common Name

Mayfly Orchid

Status

Height

0.04m - 0.25m (4-25cm)

Flowers

slender raceme of small dark purplish flowers with long filamentous sepals.

Fruit

Papery capsule

Form

heart shaped leaves, dark green above and purple beneath.

Municipalities

Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Circular Head; Devonport; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Kentish; King Island; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar

Communities

Coastal Vegetation

Habitat Notes

Sheltered sites in heathland and heathy open eucalypt forest, she-oak woodland and tea-tree scrub.

Site Tolerance

Dry; Moist; Shady; Shady

Frost Tolerance

Tender

Soil Tolerance

Clay; Loam; Sandy; Well-drained

General Notes

Suitable below powerlines.

Propagation Details

Propagation Calendar

Flowering Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Collecting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sowing Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Cutting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Information

Seed Collection

Seed Treatment Method

Seed Storage Life

Viable Seeds Per Gram

Seed Treatment Notes

Orchid seeds are very minute yellow, brown or blackish dust-like particles. Orchid seeds are produced within a capsule that splits at maturity and releases tousands to millions of seeds. Dispersed by wind and water and only germinate following infection of the embryo by a suitable mycorrhizal fungus. Very few seeds become mature plants. For more information see Jones, Wapstra, Tonelli, Harris (1999): The Orchids of Tasmania.

Germination Time

Suitable for Direct Seeding

Cuttings

Expected Time to Take Root

Expected Time to Plant Out

Propagation by Division N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.

Cutting Notes