It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s…an Orchid?

Flying duck orchid (Caleana Major) Photo credit: Theo Gonzalez (cc-by-sa)

By now, most of us know that orchids come in all shapes and sizes, including some that might only seem possible if rendered in CGI. Orchids are a species that provoke one of my favorite and most recurring questions: how does nature do that?!

How can an orchid flower come to resemble a ghost, a Flamenco dancer, or a pair of slippers?

Looking at orchids can be like looking at clouds—it’s impossible not to see shapes, especially because orchids come in so many. One of my favorite orchid flowers is Caleana Major, otherwise known as the “flying duck” for reasons that are clear when you look at a photo.

Three flying duck orchid blooms for the price of one (photo credit: Bill Higham via Flickr)

The flying duck orchid is native to Australia and grows in the forests in Queensland, Tasmania, and Southern Australia. They were first discovered in the early 1800s and were named after George Caley, a botanist and explorer whose positive relationship with aboriginal tribes helped him gain access to areas he otherwise might not have been able to visit. Originally, flying duck orchids comprised their own genus, though they’ve recently been reassigned as part of another genus (Paracaleana). 

Caleana orchids are terrestrial, which means they grow in the ground, rather than on trees like most orchids. While they usually grow in forests, in Western Australia, they grow in fine, sandy soil that stays fairly wet in the winter. They can also grow on mountainsides or in rocky soil. They can grow up to 20 inches tall, though the purple, brown, and red flying- duck bloom is usually only an inch or so tall. The orchid usually blooms between September and January, which is during the Australian summer. 

Flying duck orchid (photo credit: Peter Woodard, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Despite their adaptability to different climate and topographical features, flying duck orchids are currently on Australia’s list of vulnerable plants, which is one step away from being considered endangered. The number of wild caleana orchids has dwindled because of habitat destruction, namely of their pollinators, primarily thynnid wasps and sawflies. When an insect visits a flying duck orchid, its weight bends the flower’s labellum and traps the insect so that it rubs against pollen as it searches and finds the exit. As it visits other flowers, it collects and distributes more pollen. 

As tempting as it might be to try and grow your own flying duck orchid, they should remain in the wild only, as they won’t last long in anyone’s collection. They have a symbiotic relationship with native fungus without which they cannot survive, and thus aren’t typically sold at shows or at nurseries.

One of my favorite facts about the flying duck orchid is that it was featured on an Australian postage stamp back in 1986. This plant is a literal poster orchid for awesomeness!