Sandhill Helmet Orchid - Corybas despectans
A very small orchid, the leaf being around the size of your thumbnail, so the flower is smaller still. If you keep an eye open for small green leaves that are flat on the ground, then look for flowers. They grow in sheltered steep gullies with a southerly aspect on stabilised tertiary alkaline dunes, they occur as scattered plants or in loose colonies spread over several metres. They can also be found on very steep vegetated southerly facing dunes, so not always confined to the gullies. Cyrtostylis robusta, the Large Gnat Orchid, have a similar but much larger leaf (often well over 40 mm, 11/2") and can be particularly common in this habitat, so may initially confuse.
The flowering period is from July to September.
