Elythranthera brunonis (purple enamel orchid)

Elythranthera spp.

Orchidaceae South West Western Australia

SunPart Shade – Full Sun

HardinessZones 9–10

Overview

Elythranthera spp., the enamel orchids, is a small genus of two terrestrial orchid species endemic to the South West of Western Australia. Each plant grows from an underground tuberoid and sends up a single, narrow, hairy basal leaf followed by a slender flowering stem 4 to 16 in (10 to 40 cm) tall. The one to several flowers are the defining feature: the sepals and petals have a glossy, hard, enamel-like surface in deep purple (E. brunonis) or pink (E. emarginata), often with darker spotting on the reverse. Plants are dormant through the dry summer and emerge with autumn and winter rains, flowering in spring from September to November. Flowering is often heaviest in the season after a bushfire. Like most terrestrial orchids, the enamel orchids depend on specific soil fungi for germination and growth, which makes them very difficult to cultivate or transplant and confines them almost entirely to their native heath and woodland.

Native Range

Endemic to the South West botanical province of Western Australia, where the two species grow in seasonally moist heath, shrubland, and open eucalypt woodland on sandy soils.

Suggested Uses

Grown only occasionally by specialist native-orchid enthusiasts in pots under controlled conditions. In the wild the species form part of Western Australian heath and woodland communities and are studied for their fire-stimulated flowering. They have no role in general garden planting.

How to Identify

A single, hairy, grass-like leaf rises from ground level, followed by a wiry stem carrying one to a few flowers. The flowers stand out for their lacquered, enamel-like sheen, coloured glossy purple or pink, with the outer surface often marked with darker spots or a bluish cast. Plants appear only in the cooler, wetter months and die back to a tuber over summer.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height4" - 1'4"

Width/Spread2" - 4"

Colors

Flower Colors

purple

pink

Foliage Colors

green

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~4 weeks

Spring

Flowering runs through spring, mostly from September to November in the Southern Hemisphere. Each stem opens one to several glossy flowers in succession. Blooming is often far more profuse in the first spring after a summer bushfire, a response shared with many Australian terrestrial orchids.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

Glossy purple to pink

Foliage Description

Green, hairy

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Sun

Requires 3-6 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

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 6.5(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

sand

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

tender

Time to Maturity

Several years from seed

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Enamel orchids are geophytes of Mediterranean-climate Western Australia, growing on free-draining sandy soils that are moist in winter and dry in summer. They need a partly shaded to open position and a strongly seasonal water cycle, with no summer watering while the tuber is dormant. Soil pH is typically acid to neutral, around 5.0 to 6.5. Because germination and survival depend on a symbiotic soil fungus, the species are rarely grown outside specialist orchid collections and resist ordinary transplanting. Plants are seen in the wild far more often than in cultivation. Bushfire or seasonal disturbance frequently stimulates the strongest flowering.

Pruning

No pruning is required or appropriate. The single leaf and flowering stem wither naturally as the plant returns to dormancy in early summer. Spent stems can be left in place to set and shed seed.

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic

Perennial