Australian Native Plants

  Diuris drummondii (Tall Donkey Orchid)


Diuris drummondii photo
Diuris drummondii

Photograph by Bernd Haynold. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)




TALL DONKEY ORCHID FACTS

distribution map showing range of Diuris drummondii in Australia

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


Common Name
Tall Donkey Orchid

Description
The Tall Donkey Orchid is endemic to Western Australia. As its name indicates it is a fairly large Diuris species growing to about a metre in height. The flowers are yellow, with typical ear-shaped lateral petals. The labellum and dorsal sepal are mostly yellow with some darker markings near the centre of the flower. Three to eight flowers are produced in a cluster, with each individual flower about 3 cm across. Flowering is in late spring and early summer from October to January. The plant forms tubers and can grow in dense colonies. It responds to fire by increased flowering and increased spread of the colony.

Habitat
swamps, damp hollows

Distribution
Diuris drummondii is found only in Western Australia where it is found in the south west corner from about Perth to Albany.

Growth Characteristics
Height: 50cm - 105cm
Classification
Class:Liliopsida
Order:Asparagales
Family:Orchidaceae
Genus:Diuris
Species:drummondii
Common Name:Tall Donkey Orchid


Relatives in same Genus
  Diuris aurea
  Diuris behrii
  Diuris brevifolia
  Diuris brumalis
  Diuris corymbosa
  Diuris magnifica
  Diuris nigromontana
  Diuris pardina
  Diuris praecox
  Diuris punctata
  Diuris sulphurea