Kilsyth South Spider-orchid  |  

The Kilsyth South spider-orchid (Orchidaceae) is an herbaceous perennial geophyte which is
35 cm high, with a single leaf 15 cm long and one to two flowers. It is a deciduous orchid that dies back annually to a small, spherical, underground tuber. The single leaf is long and narrow. The erect, hairy flower stem grows to 35 cm high and has one or two large, creamy white flowers which grow up to 8 cm across. The sepals and petals are up to 7 cm long and slender, with long filamentous tips covered in brownish glands. The uppermost sepal is erect, the petals and lateral sepals spread and droop. The central petal (labellum) is narrowly triangular with the tip rolled under. The expanded part of the labellum has four to six rows of short, curved, reddish teeth and the sides of the labellum are fringed with short, thickened, reddish teeth decreasing in size and extending almost to the labellum tip (Jeanes & Backhouse 2006).