Cyanicula spp.
blue fairy orchid
Southern Australia, mainly south-western Western Australia
Overview
Cyanicula spp. is a genus of about ten terrestrial orchids, the blue fairy orchids, native mainly to southern Australia with a stronghold in south-western Western Australia. Each plant grows from a small underground tuber and produces a single hairy ground-hugging leaf and a slender stem 2-12 inches (5-30 cm) tall carrying one to several flowers. The flowers are blue to violet, sometimes with a paler or marked centre, and measure 0.6-1.4 inches (15-35 mm) across, an uncommon colour among terrestrial orchids. Plants are dormant as tubers through the dry summer and emerge with autumn rains to flower in winter and spring. The genus grows in seasonally moist heath, woodland, and granite outcrops on sandy or gravelly soils, and several species flower more freely in the season after fire. Like most terrestrial orchids it depends on a soil fungus for germination and growth. Cyanicula spp. is grown only by specialist orchid enthusiasts, as the plants are exacting in cultivation and resent disturbance. Several species have restricted ranges and are of conservation concern in the wild.
Native Range
Cyanicula spp. is native to southern Australia, with most species in the south-west of Western Australia and a few in south-eastern Australia and New Zealand. It grows in seasonally wet heath, woodland, and granite outcrop pockets on sandy and gravelly soils.Suggested Uses
Cyanicula spp. is grown only by terrestrial-orchid specialists in pots under a dry-summer regime, and it features in displays and conservation collections of Australian native orchids. In the wild it is part of the ground flora of heath, woodland, and granite outcrops. Its blue flowers are also studied for their rarity among orchids and their fire-linked flowering.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height2" - 1'
Width/Spread2" - 4"
Bloom Information
Flowering follows the autumn and winter rains, mostly from late winter into spring, broadly August to November in Western Australia. Each stem opens one to several blue flowers over a few weeks. Several species flower far more heavily in the first season after a summer fire.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
blue to violetFoliage Description
green, hairyGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Cyanicula spp. grows in seasonally moist, sandy or gravelly, free-draining soils in full sun to light shade and depends on a native soil fungus. Plants follow a strict wet-winter and dry-summer cycle, growing and flowering in the cool months and resting as dormant tubers through the dry season. They cannot tolerate summer watering while dormant, which rots the tubers. In cultivation they need a specialist terrestrial-orchid mix, a dry summer rest, and an intact fungal partner, and they remain difficult to keep. The plants resent disturbance and are left undisturbed once established. Propagation is slow and is usually from natural tuber increase or specialist symbiotic sowing.Pruning
Blue fairy orchids need no pruning. The single leaf and flowering stem die back naturally as the plant returns to dormancy in summer. Spent flower stems can be removed once any seed has set or been collected.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 1 gallons