Our weather has been so dry but still the Rosy Hyacinth Orchid, Dipodium roseum, and the Spotted Hyacinth Orchid, D. pardalinum, have been delighting both visitors and locals alike. Look closely at the labellum of these orchids: D. roseum has stripes and D. pardalinum has spots.
Rosy Hyacinth Orchid
Spotted Hyacinth Orchid
Also look at the hair tufts on the labellum: D. roseum has pink tufts and D. pardalinum has white ones.
In 2024 some of the flowers seen at Frazer Ave had both spots and stripes and were probably hybrids which is very unusual. These flowers were also taller, stronger plants.
Images and text: Alison Watson