Australian Native Plants

  Eriochilus cucullatus (Parson's Bands)


Eriochilus cucullatus photo
Eriochilus cucullatus

Photograph by Ian Sutton from Collinsville and Oberon, Australia. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)




PARSON'S BANDS FACTS

distribution map showing range of Eriochilus cucullatus in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License


Common Name
Parson's Bands

Description
Parson's Bands is a terrestrial orchid from eastern Australia. The flowers are white or sometimes pink with two large lateral sepals which grow downwards. The labellum is greenish or cream coloured. The flowers are about 2 cm across and are produced on slender stems to 25 cm tall, with up to five flowers on a stem. The plant has a single oval shaped leaf which grows to about 3 cm long. Flowering is in summer and early autumn from about February to May. The plant dies back to a tuber each in winter year.

Habitat
grassland, heathland, woodland, open forest

Distribution
Eriochilus cucullatus is found in south east Queensland, eastern New South Wales, Victoria, southern South Australia and Tasmania.

Growth Characteristics
Height: 10cm - 25cm
Classification
Class:Liliopsida
Order:Asparagales
Family:Orchidaceae
Genus:Eriochilus
Species:cucullatus
Common Name:Parson's Bands


Relatives in same Genus
  Eriochilus dilatatus