Helen and Ian and the 55 orchids and Dominic the ex-hang glider pilot

Day 18, a plant a day , Thelymitra orchids 11 November 2020

Thelymitra orchids 11 November 2020 just past the eastern edge of Lowlands Reserve, so technically in West Cape Howe National Park

And the sun came out! As did a few of the blooms in a patch of yellow sun orchids today. I’ve been resisting choosing orchids as my plant of the day, as I’ve already posted so many pics of Lowlands Reserve orchids in my instagram and facebook feeds. But this little patch of a dozen or so were so pretty. They were mostly the mottled leopard print ones, but also one plain yellow.

Helen (in the darkness of the hut), Ian and Dominic (in the light shirt) at the West Cape Howe hut

I walked much further than usual today , a 12 km round trip to the West Cape Howe hut, where I met 3 end to end walkers. Helen and Ian have seen 55 different species of orchids since they set out from Perth a few weeks ago. Dominic used to go hang gliding, but for now he is a hiker, much safer.

We have many species of orchids in Lowlands Reserve, to name a few, first we get bunny orchids, then donkey orchids, and also pink fairies, cowslip and spider orchids and jug and beak orchids, and now we have the slipper orchids and the blue and yellow sun orchids, not forgetting the leek orchids and occasional green hoods and enamel orchids.

Orchid tubers are bush tucker. The Noongar elders point them out and say the language name of Djubak. Keeping culture alive in NAIDOC week. The Noongar elders will often comment on the size of the basal orchid leaf as a guide to the size of the tuber (usually beak orchids). Thelymitra also have a large tuber, but a different leaf.

Barker’s diary entries for 6th and 3rd October 1830, Mokare has been living on “Tiupuk” (Djubak, orchid tubers)

Mokare, one of the ancestors of our local Menang people and Traditional Owner of the land, has some of his day to day activities recorded in Barker’s 1830s diary. On 1st October 1830, Barker states that Mokare has been very sick, however, by 6th October, Mokare “seems somewhat better, had been living chiefly on Tiupuk since he was away…” Barkers diary of 3rd October mentions that Tiupuk, a type of orchid the root of which is much eaten by the natives, is in flower. “Tiupuk” and “Djubak” are probably different spellings of same Noongar word for orchid. I like to think Mokare was eating the tubers of the Theymitra orchid species.

Nind also mentions edible orchids “The tuboc is of the tribe Orchidae: it is very pleasant eating, when roasted. In the early part of spring it throws up a single stem, hollow, and similar in appearance to that of the onion, but is mucilaginous, and sweetish to the taste. This also is eaten. Before the young root comes to maturity it is called chokern, and is eaten raw: the old one is called naank.” see https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1797657.pdf . Mokare used to stay with Nind in Nind’s house, more about Mokare tomorrow.

However, it seems that many orchid species, as well as Thelymitra, were targetted as bush tucker. We have Thelymitra, blue sun orchids, growing outside our house, even in the hollow of a peppy (Agonis flexuosa).

blue sun orchid today outside our door growing in and also next to the peppy, with one flower open even though its cloudy. Whether flowers are open or not doesn’t depend entirely on the sun. Sometimes it’s really sunny and the flowers are not open, and sometimes it’s overcast and flowers are open. But generally, sunny days are when you see the most blooms. “Thelymitra macrophylla complex”?

The blue sun orchids in Lowlands Reserve grow very tall, up to 1 metre in height and start becoming noticeable in early October

Here’s some of the blue sun orchids from 18 October 2020 in Lowlands Reserve, note the tiny penguin inside, I’ll try and get a better photo which shows the tiny penguin more clearly! (He looks a little deconstructed in this photo). “Thelymitra macrophylla complex”?

I’m just using the genus name, Thelymitra, rather than the full species name today, as working out the species is in the too hard basket, especially when the plain yellow Thelymitra grow in the same patch as the mottled leopard print yellow orchids. Species seem to be treated as different species when differently coloured and differently shaped species grow in different locations — I’m uncertain how to work out species when two different coloured flowers the same in all other respects grow in exactly the same spot. For example, the mottled yellow one appears to be Thelymitra tigrina(?), (even tho its spots are more reminiscent of a leopard than a tiger), so which species is the plain yellow one? And don’t get me started on the blue suns! I think for the blues, I just go with “ Thelymitra macrophylla complex”

Thelymitra tigrina (?) Growing in the same location 11 November 2020, one plain , one mottled

Late addition, while browsing through Vivienne Hansen and John Horsfall Noongar Bush Tucker book, I came across this re Thelymitra:

Noongar Bush Tucker book, Vivienne Hansen and John Horsfall “Joobuk” . Goode et al ref is “orchid known as ‘Joobuck’ that is the size and shape of a new potato, which was in season in October possibly Thelymitra “ I reckon Djubak or Joobuk is a term for edible orchid tubers of several species, the Noongar approach to taxonomy is to classify by function — edible orchid tuber

Also forgot to add the photos of the Long Nose Lycid beetle that landed on me while I was taking photos of the sun prchids — here they are

Long nose lycid beetle (might be Archilestidium) with serrated feelers and friendly fly, 11 November 2020, edge of Lowlands Coastal Reserve and West Cape Howe NP

My fundraising for Bush Heritage #groundworkchallenge is going well . To join my team or donate go to https://www.groundworkchallenge.org.au/fundraisers/sheilamurray/2020?fbclid=IwAR2HbNn0YsCCc3tiSK-_lbF5xLsssaD8wjGHaUwVYrRqYxM-kdJkijoj2N0

Lowlands Reserve and West Cape Howe are on Menang Boodja — country. I celebrate the strength, resilience and capacity of the Menang Noongar people who are the traditional owners of the land.

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