Rhizanthella gardneri, often called the Western underground orchid, is one of the most remarkable plants in the world because it spends its entire life cycle underground, including flowering. It’s native to Western Australia, where it grows beneath the leaf litter and soil of the broom honey-myrtle and Acacia shrubland.
Unlike almost all other plants, Rhizanthella gardneri lacks chlorophyll, meaning it cannot photosynthesize. Instead of making its own food from sunlight, it depends entirely on a symbiotic relationship with fungi.
The orchid connects to a specific mycorrhizal fungus, which in turn, forms associations with the roots of nearby broom bushes (Melaleuca uncinata). Essentially, the orchid taps into the underground fungal network that links it to the photosynthetic Melaleuca plants. The orchid parasitically draws the nutrients and carbon it needs through the fungus, indirectly obtaining the energy that originates from the Melaleuca’s photosynthesis.
Credit: Jean and Fred Hort
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