Rhizanthella Gardneri, the underground flower

 

Rhizanthella Gardneri, the amazing  underground orchid, after which this poetry e-zine is named, was discovered quite  accidentally  by one drawn towards it by its fragrance emerging from a  crack in a garden . Thriving on the roots of the honey myrtle that is symbiotic with the fungus Thanatephorus gardneri,  it associates  itself with the  fungus for its nutrients and germination, and  spends its entire life underground.  The flowers bloom several layers below the soil.   Both the plant and flower appear white.  The plant which has no leaves, has a fleshy stem which   blossoms into a flower head that contains about 150 tightly packed florets in it. Beautiful, fragrant, wild, and  unique, it is an endangered species  found  in rarity  in Western Australia. It is so rare that  not more than fifty plants have been found to exist. 

 

 

Welcome to the poetry e-zine, Underground Flowers . Stay with us.