Maikaika/Common onion orchid (Microtis unifolia)
Last Modified: 5-11-2021 21:44
Growing on a spur on the Wither Hills
© Christopher Cookson License this image
Maikaika/Common onion orchid (Microtis unifolia) is a terrestrial orchid indigenous to New Zealand, found throughout the country, also occuring naturally around the Pacific and in Asia. M. unifolia is perennial, growing from a tuber to produce a single leaf that resembles an onion leaf, hence the common name. The leaf eventually splits open to reveal a flower stalk with a large number of small green flowers. Flowering is from late winter to spring. The species can be readily cultivated, with the ability to colonise urban areas and even become weedy.
The species is found throughout Marlborough, with this example observed in the QE II Covenant area within the Wither Hills Farm Park.
Image Date: 19/10/2021
Photographer: Christopher Cookson
Location: Latitude: -41.559322 Longitude: 173.973907