Western potato orchid facts for kids

The Gastrodia lacista, also known as the western potato orchid, is a special kind of plant. It's an orchid that grows on the ground, but it doesn't have any leaves! This orchid gets its food from fungi in the soil, which is pretty unique. You can find it growing in forests and woodlands in the southwest part of Western Australia.

What the Western Potato Orchid Looks Like

The western potato orchid is a plant that grows from the ground. It has a thin, brown stem that can be a bit bent, like a crook. This stem holds between five and fifty flowers.

These flowers hang downwards and are a mix of fawn (a light brownish-yellow) and white. They are shaped like tubes. The outside of the flowers can feel a bit bumpy, while the inside is smooth and white.

The main parts of the flower, called the sepals and petals, are joined together. They form a tube about 10 to 12 millimeters (about half an inch) long. The petals have a few small, blunt teeth along their edges. Inside the flower, there's a special lip-like part called the labellum. It's about 9 to 10 millimeters long and 4 to 5 millimeters wide. This labellum is white and has edges that look a bit torn or irregular. You can usually see these orchids flowering from November to January.

How the Western Potato Orchid Got its Name

The western potato orchid was officially described in 1991. A botanist named David Jones first wrote about it. He found a sample of the plant near a place called Albany in 1989.

The scientific name for this orchid is Gastrodia lacista. The second part of its name, lacista, comes from a Latin word. It means "torn," which refers to the irregular, torn-like edges of the flower's labellum.

Where the Western Potato Orchid Lives

You can find the western potato orchid growing in forests and woodlands. It likes to grow in the leaf litter on the ground. This orchid is found in the area between Bunbury and Albany in Western Australia.