Leporella fimbriata ( Lindl. ) A.S.George 1971
Inflorescence Photos courtesy of Colin Rowan and his Orchid Website
Common Name The Fringed Leporella - The Fringed Hare Orchid
Flower Size 5/8" [1.5 cm]
Restricted to the western half of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia mainly on the coast and hinterland areas, at elevations of 50 to 300 meters where it grows in heathlands, heathy woodlands and open forest, in deep well drained sand and sandy loam as a small sized, cold to cool growing terrestrial orchid with ovoid tubers giving rise to an erect stem completely enveloped by a few imbricate acuminate sheaths and carrying a single, small, acute, basally clasping leaf that blooms in the fall and winter on a terminal, erect, thin & wiry, 10" [25 cm] tall, racemose inflorescence with a few [1 to 3] flowers. This species is often found in conjunction with ants and may benefit from their presence.
Synonyms Caladenia fimbriata (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1871; Caladenia fimbriata var. pectinata (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1871; Eriochilus fimbriatus (Lindl.) F.Muell. 1882; *Leptoceras fimbriata Lindl. 1839; Leptoceras pectinata Lindl. 1840
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 4 1966 photo as Leptocerus fimbriata; Orchids of Australia Riley & Banks 2002; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 8 2004 photo; Native Orchids of Australia Jones 2006
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