Australia So Much to See

These pages will feature some of the wildflowers we have photographed in Western Australia, and where possible, identified. If you are able to help identify further flowers, or correct any I may have wrong, please contact us.

Information given for each species will give botanical name, known common names, describe the flower, give time of year it flowered, and where it was photographed, and the areas it occurs in. Names have been matched to Florabase which has also been used to show distribution.

See some of these wildflower in larger sized photos on our Flickr pages.

Home > Lists and Links > Nature in Australia > Alphabetical Wildflower Index > Wildflowers E-1

Elythranthera brunonis Purple Enamel Orchid, Purple Enamelled Orchid
A shining purple orchid with five petals, several flowers on a stem, spotted buds. Colours vary through purples to pink. The white tipped labellum is curved up over itself 180 degrees.
Spring
Bridgetown, South West Region, and found through much of the South West, Wheat Belt and Great Southern regions, and the south coast to Esperance.

Elythranthera emarginata, Pink Enamel Orchid

Pink Enamel Orchids can come in shades of mauve to pink, petals are more pointed and less curled back than Elythranthera brunonis, Purple Enamel Orchid. It also has a different shaped column, and grows from a single leaf which is slightly more rounded than the Purple Enamel Orchid leaf. Dark pink spots of buds (rear of petals), with spotting sometime evident on the face of the flower. The white tipped labellum is curved under itself 180 degrees then recurves 180 degrees back again, with a blunt tip.

October

Bridgetown and Boyup Brook areas, and occurs through the South West, Great Southern, and Perth regions, and extends into the wheatbelt and along the coast to the north of Perth.

Differences between Elythranthera brunonis, Purple Enamel Orchid, and Elythranthera emarginata, Pink Enamel Orchid.

Elythranthera brunonis, Purple Enamel Orchid (in any shade) have shorter stumpier petals, often turn back at the tip like these, long stems, and a white labellum tip curls upwards 180°. Column ‘hood’ is more cupped than on Elythranthera emarginata. Two large predominantly black calli come from the base of the labellum, and are smooth. Maroon spots on the backs of petals. The leaf is elongated and the stems quite tall. Maroon markings on rear of leaf.

Elythranthera emarginata, Pink Enamel Orchid, have larger flatter flowers, with short stems, often with spotting showing on the front as well as the backs of petals. They are not quite a shiny as the purples. The white tipped labellum is curved under itself 180 degrees then recurves 180 degrees back again, with a blunt tip. Column ‘hood’ is curved but not as much as on Elythranthera brunonis. Two large predominantly black calli come from the base of the labellum, and have a bump half way along them. The leaf is wider and shorter and appears a little hairy. The name emarginata means slightly indented at the leaf tip.

Hybrids can occur and are known as Elythranthera x intermedia.

341_elythranthera_emarginata_labellum_tip_img_1740_c.jpg

Ecdeiocolea monostachya, Bush Rush

A rush with brown spike heads that produce male and female flowers alternating up the spike. Male flowers are yellow, as can be seen above right with very little of the white fluffy female flowers barely showing above the male flowers.

August

Karomin Rock, Nungarin shire and Gutha, Morawa shire. Found from Shark Bay to Gingin, and extending inland through the wheatbelt south to Bruce Rock and east to the Boorabbin and Goldfields woodlands national parks. Favours sand over laterite.

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