The Cooktown Orchid has been the floral emblem of Queensland since 1959. It lives in a wide variety of habitats from coastal scrub to mangroves to rainforests. While it used to be prolific around Cooktown, it is now rare in the wild due to over-collecting. It likes sunny, dry conditions with minimal watering and temperatures above 13°C, and requires a bush-house in cooler climates, where cultivated plants often have larger flowers than in the wild. Its natural range is limited to an area from the Endeavour River Valley west of Cooktown south to the Fount Hills west of Mount Molloy in far northern Queensland.
2. Cooktown Orchid
The Cooktown Orchid, has
been the floral emblem of
Queensland since 19
November 1959. It was first
described in 1880.
3.
4. It lives in a wide variety of
habitats ranging from coastal
scrub on trees and rocks, to
mangroves, riverine
vegetation, rainforest, vine
thickets, gullies in open forest
and even swamps. It used to be
prolific around Cooktown but is
now rare in the wild, due to
over-collecting by commercial
collectors.
5.
6. Likes a dry, sunny position
with a minimum of
watering and a temperature
not below 13°C. Needs a
bush-house in cooler
climates. Cultivated plants
often have much larger
flowers than those in the
wild.
7.
8. It occurs naturally in a
limited area from the
Endeavour River
Valley, west of
Cooktown, south to the
Font Hills, west of Mount
Molloy, in far northern
Queensland.
