Western Australian Orchid Key

Key to the Native Orchids of Western Australia is an interactive identification and information package that will help you identify and learn about all the currently known native orchids found in Western Australia (including named hybrids).

It is designed for flowering plants and works best when they are fresh and observed in the field. It can also be used to identify orchids from Herbarium specimens but may not work as well as it does with fresh specimens in the field. The key is not designed to work with vegetative plants.

The species distributions in the Fact Sheets and in the illustrative maps are based on Herbarium collections and the personal knowledge of the authors, whereas in the interactive identification section of the Key the distributions are based on the Shires where the species could potentially occur.

Key to the Native Orchids of Western Australia has been sponsored by the Western Australian Native Orchid Study and Conservation Group (WANOSCG) and developed by its members.

The key is designed as an aid to identifying Western Australian native orchids. However, WANOSCG and the authors take no responsibility for the accuracy of results. The key does not replace the advice of professionals in plant identification and the user is solely responsible for the scientific interpretation or any regulatory decision derived from information provided in this tool.

Aims

The key is aimed at both amateur orchid enthusiasts and professional researchers alike. You can use it to:
- identify an orchid species;
- find out what orchids occur in different areas (by Shire) or habitats;
- find out which orchids flower in different months of the year;
- find out which orchids are listed as Threatened or Priority species;
- view species Fact Sheets and photos of all the orchids contained in the key; and learn more about Western Australia’s unique orchids.

Sources of information

Information and data contained in the key has come from a variety of sources including the personal knowledge of the authors and others; The Western Australian Herbarium including Florabase; the scientific literature; and from the following books: The Complete Orchids of Western Australia by Andrew Brown (2022) and A Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia by David L. Jones (2020) who approved the use of his authoritative and extensive source of information on Australian native orchids. Orchid names and other information found in the key are accurate as at April 2024.

Acknowledgements
This project would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the WANOSCG committee and the invaluable contributions of a dedicated team of WANOSCG members and others, including: Paul Armstrong, John Ewing, Martina Fleischer, Varena Hardy, Ray Molloy, Sally Page, Nathan Piesse, Jay Steer, Katie White, and Lisa Wilson; and Lucid Key software support and guidance — the very knowledgeable, helpful and patient Matt Taylor as part of the Lucidcentral software team. Finally, we are extremely grateful to the Curator and staff of the Western Australian Herbarium for providing access to orchid specimens, Florabase and the digitised information used to develop distribution maps used in the key.

The key contains some 1700 orchid photographs largely contributed by WANOSCG members, both past and present, through the WANOSCG photographic library. Photographers are individually credited with images in the key and they, along with WANOSCG, retain copyright of these photographs.

Feedback

Comments and suggestions are welcome and can be sent to [email protected]