Genoplesium simulans

Genoplesium simulans is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single thin leaf 120–400 mm (5–20 in) long with the free part 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) long. Between five and twenty three dark purplish-black flowers are arranged along a flowering stem 20–40 mm (0.8–2 in) long, reaching to a height of 160–460 mm (6–20 in). The flowers lean downwards and are 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) wide. As with others in the genus, the flowers are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is broadly egg-shaped, 5 mm (0.2 in) long, 4 mm (0.2 in) wide and purple with darker bands. The edges of the dorsal sepal are densely hairy, the hairs up to 0.5 mm (0.02 in) long. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, about 7 mm (0.3 in) long, 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide, dark reddish purple and spread widely apart from each other. The petals are narrow egg-shaped, about 4 mm (0.2 in) long, 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and greenish-purple with darker stripes and a few hairs on the edges. The labellum is narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base and is 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide with dark purplish-black hairs on the edges. There is a purplish-black, tapered callus in the centre of the labellum and covering about half of its surface. Flowering occurs from January to March.

Genoplesium simulans grows in forest and with mosses in shallow soil over sandstone in the Blue Mountains and south to Mount Keira.

== References ==