Genoplesium morinum

Genoplesium morinum is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single thin, dark green leaf, 120–200 mm (5–8 in) long with a purplish base and fused to the flowering stem with the free part 12–20 mm (0.5–0.8 in) long. The leaf sometimes remains attached to the tuber until the plant flowers in the next year. Between ten and twenty dark reddish purple flowers are crowded along 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) of a flowering stem reaching to a height of 150–240 mm (6–9 in). The flowers lean downwards, are 6–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide and inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, about 6 mm (0.2 in) long and 3 mm (0.1 in) wide with dark red lines. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, 6.5–7 mm (0.26–0.28 in) long, 1.5–2 mm (0.06–0.08 in) wide, point downwards and spread apart from each other. The petals are broadly egg-shaped, about 5.5 mm (0.2 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide with darker lines. The petals have irregular edges with coarse, purple hairs up to 0.5 mm (0.02 in) long. The labellum is dark purplish red, linear to elliptic in shape, about 4.5 mm (0.2 in) long, 2 mm (0.08 in) wide with purplish hairs up to 1 mm (0.04 in) on its edges. There is a thick, fleshy, dark purplish black callus in the centre of the labellum and extending almost to its tip. …

Genoplesium morinum grows with sedges in swampy places at altitudes of about 1,000 ft (10,000 in) in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park.

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