Orchideensuche in New South Wales, Australien (Teil 3)

摘要

Orchid hunting in New South Wales (Austratia), final part. The well-known Blue Mountains are situated about 100 km west of Sydney. Since 1959, the area around the Grase Valley was established as first part of a national park and later on more areaswere included, now in total nearly 2500 km~2. The Blue Mountains consist mainly of a 1000 m high sandstone plateau with about 600 m deep valieys and 250 m steep, vertical gorges. There is a very diversified plant life with interesting orchids. In spite of the big bush fires 1994 the vegetation seems to be nearly recovered till 2000, but 2001 there took place another heavy bush fire. The orchid hunting in the Blue Mountains started at the "Pierces Pass Picnic Area" with a fantastic view at the end of thetrail into the Grose Valley. The area there is heath land with very interesting plants, e. g. Lambertia formosa (so-called "mountain devil") from the Protaceae family and the sun orchid Thelymitra ixioides. Another area with botanical highlights was thesurrounding of the Mt. Wilson. There we found Dockrillia pugioniformis in big masses with several hundred flowers hanging down from a tree. Other orchids had been Pterostylis curta and Plectorrhiza tridentata. At the recommendable view points "Govetts Leap" and "Evans Lookout" we found Thelymitra ixioides, too. The "must" viewpoint is a place near Katoomba with the postcard view to the "Three Sisters". But in the eastern spur of the Blue Mountains, north of Windsor is a good orchid area, too. There wefound Sarcochilus australis, Pterostylis saxicola (recently new described), and the duck orchid Caleana major. Some orchids we found on the trip are described in more detail at the end of this article.