Orchids, the jewels of Southern Patagonia

Orchids in Southern Patagonia

Orchids are a family of near 25,000 species of herbaceous vascular plants distributed worldwide and exhibiting a wide diversity of shapes, inflorescences and colours. Each summer season in Patagonia, several species of native orchids ornate this land for a brief few weeks with their extraordinary beauty, adapting to the extreme environmental conditions of the southernmost area of the continent.

Chloraea, from the greek chloros, green, referring to the colour of their flowers, is an endemic genus to South America, distributed from Peru south, along the Andes range.

Chloraea chica, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 40 cm tall. It flowers in december, fruits in december and january. Common along the edges of bogs, reed-fringed ponds and damp soils with abundant organic matter in the mesophytic scrub.

 

Chloraea gaudichaudii, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 50 cm tall. Locally known as Grey Twig, it flowers in december, fruits in december and january. Small and scarce populations grow in Chaura, Gaultheria mucronata and Murtilla, Empetrum rubrum scrub.

 

Chloraea leptopetala, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 60 cm tall. Locally known as slender-petal Orchid, it flowers in december, fruits in december and january. Small populations grow in hillsides in the western side of Torres del Paine National Park.

 

Chloraea magellanica, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 60 cm tall. Locally known as Porcelain Orchid, it flowers in november and december, fruits in december and january. A common species, it is found in locations with mesophytic scrub and transition areas between Southern Beech, Nothofagus antarctica and patagonian steppe.

 

Codonorchis lessonii, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 50 cm tall. Locally known as Little Dove, it flowers in december, fruits in december and january. Associated to somber and damp soil in forests of Southern Beech, Nothofagus pumilio. Endemic to Patagonia, only species in its genus (Codonorchis).

 

Gavilea, from the greek gavilu, meaning orchid, is an endemic genus to South America, mainly distributed in Argentina and Chile.

Gavilea araucana, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 70 cm tall. Locally known as Araucan Orchid, it flowers in december, fruits in december and january. Found in clearings in native forest, lake shores and shady hillsides in the western side of Torres del Paine National Park, in Magallanes, Chilean Patagonia.

 

Gavilea kingii, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 60 cm tall. Locally known as Yellow Orchid. Associated to open southern Beech, Nothofagus betuloides forests. Rare and quite local species, it is considered to be in risk of extinction.

 

Gavilea littoralis, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 70 cm tall. Locally known as Litoral Orchid. Associated to open areas and hillsides with Chaura, Gaultheria mucronata scrub.

 

Gavilea lutea, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 60 cm tall. Locally known as Golden Twig, it is the commonest of patagonian orchids. Associated to open scrub areas and shady, damp patches of deciduous Nothofagus  forest. Adapts well to soils and grassland altered by forest fires.

 

Gavilea supralabellata, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 30 cm tall. Locally known as Lime Green Orchid, it flowers in december, fruits in december and january. Associated to open forests of Southern Beech, Nothofagus antarctica, found only in a few sites in Ultima Esperanza province, Magallanes, Chile.

 

Gavilea australis, Fam. Orchidaceae. Perennial herb, grows up to 50 cm tall. Locally known as Green Orchid, it is the southernmost orchid species in the world. Found only in the coastal grasslands of the Beagle Channel and sub Antarctic islands south of Tierra del Fuego.

Gavilea australis © Sebastián Saiter, Far South Exp