Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Purple donkey-orchid (Diuris punctata), 1790s

Purple donkey-orchid (Diuris punctata), 1790s

Ducie Collection, National Library of Australia, Canberra; Purchased from the Ducie-Moreton Family, 2005; nla.pic-vn3579706

Watercolour

Purple donkey-orchids belong to the genus Diuris, the Greek word meaning double tail.
Purple donkey-orchids grow in large clusters and are pollinated by small bees.
Purple donkey-orchids flower in spring and shrivel and wither in summer. Their underground tubers then become dormant.
Purple donkey-orchids display considerable variation in flower, shape and size. Flower colours include yellow, purple, pink and brown.
Purple donkey-orchids are distributed across eastern Australia and are considered rare.
The Purple donkey-orchid gets its name from two petals that protrude from the flower resembling donkey ears.