Plantae > Tracheophyta > Liliopsida > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Drakaea

Drakaea (Hammer Orchids)

Synonyms: Drakea

Wikipedia Abstract

Drakaea is a genus of 10 species in the plant family Orchidaceae commonly known as hammer orchids. All ten species only occur in the south-west of Western Australia. Hammer orchids are characterised by an insectoid labellum that is attached to a narrow, hinged stem, which holds it aloft. The stem can only hinge backwards, where the broadly winged column carries the pollen and stigma. Each species of hammer orchid is pollinated by a specific species of thynnid wasp. Thynnid wasps are unusual in that the female is flightless and mating occurs when the male carries a female away to a source of food. The labellum of the orchid resembles a female thynnid wasp in shape, colour and scent. Insect pollination involving sexual attraction is common in orchids but the interaction between the male thyn
View Wikipedia Record: Drakaea

Species

Drakaea andrewsiae
Drakaea concolor (Kneeling Hammer-orchid)
Drakaea confluens (Late Hammer-orchid)
Drakaea elastica (Glossy-leafed Hammer-orchid)
Drakaea glyptodon
Drakaea gracilis
Drakaea isolata (Lonely Hammer-orchid)
Drakaea livida
Drakaea micrantha (Dwarf Hammer-orchid)
Drakaea thynniphila

External References

Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0