# Drakaea

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Genus of orchids

Hammer orchid Flower of Drakaea glyptodon Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Orchidaceae Subfamily: Orchidoideae Tribe: Diurideae Subtribe: Drakaeinae Genus: Drakaea Lindl.[1]

***Drakaea*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of 10 [species](/source/Species) in the [plant](/source/Plant) [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Orchidaceae](/source/Orchidaceae) commonly known as **hammer orchids**. All ten species occur only in the [south-west](/source/Southwest_Australia) of [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia). Hammer orchids are characterised by an insectoid [labellum](/source/Labellum_(botany)) that is attached to a narrow, hinged stem, which holds it aloft. The stem can hinge only backwards, where the broadly winged column carries the [pollen](/source/Pollen) and [stigma](/source/Carpel). Each species of hammer orchid is [pollinated](/source/Pollination) by a specific species of [thynnid](/source/Thynnidae) wasp. Thynnid wasps are unusual in that the female is flightless and mating occurs when the male carries a female away to a source of food. The labellum of the orchid resembles a female thynnid wasp in shape, colour and scent. Insect pollination involving sexual attraction is common in orchids but the interaction between the male thynnid wasp and the hammer orchid is unique in that it involves the insect trying to fly away with a part of the flower.

## Description

Hammer orchids have a single thumbnail-sized, flat, heart-shaped, fleshy, ground-hugging leaf and a long, thin, wiry stem. The stem bears a leaf-like [bract](/source/Bract) below half way and a single flower at its summit. The flower is highly modified in that the labellum resembles a female thynnid wasp in shape and colour and which produces a scent that mimicks a [pheromone](/source/Pheromone) produced by the female. There is a single (male) [stamen](/source/Stamen) bearing two [pollinia](/source/Pollinium) close to the single (female) [stigma](/source/Stigma_(botany)). After fertilisation, the ovary develops into a non-fleshy capsule containing up to 500 seeds.[2]

*D. glyptodon* labelled image

### Pollination mechanism

Many [orchid](/source/Orchidaceae) species have structures, or produce scents that mimic female insects and are attractive to males. Hammer orchids are unique in that they are pollinated by a species of male thynnid [wasp](/source/Wasp) ([Superfamily](/source/Taxonomic_rank) [Vespoidea](/source/Vespoidea), [Family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Thynnidae](/source/Thynnidae)). Thynnid wasps are unique in that the females are flightless. When male wasps emerge from the ground, they search for females. When the flightless female wasps emerge, they climb a blade of grass, rub their legs together, release a pheromone and wait for males. When a male detects the pheromone, it flies in a zig-zag pattern upwind until the female is located. The male grasps the female and flies away with her to a food source. [Copulation](/source/Sexual_intercourse) occurs in flight and the male feeds his mate through his abdomen. She is then left to return to the ground, lay her eggs in beetle larvae and die.[3]

The orchid produces a chemical that mimics the pheromone produced by the female wasp and is strongly attractive to male thynnid wasps. (One researcher had male wasps follow his car, fly through the open windows and locate orchids on the floor of the car.) When a male is attracted by the pheromone-like scent released by the orchid and by its shape, it tries to fly away with the labellum, making the stem holding it move backwards. This in turn brings the male wasp's [thorax](/source/Thorax) in contact with the sticky pollen packet. The male wasp tires of trying to remove the labellum and flies off. In order for the hammer orchid to be successfully pollinated, the male wasp must visit another individual orchid, where it goes through the same procedure. This time the pollen is deposited on the stigma, and so that plant has been pollinated.[4][5][6]

Usually each species of orchid is pollinated by a specific species of wasp, but there are exceptions. One hammer orchid species shares a pollinator with other kinds of orchid[7] and one population of *[Drakaea concolor](/source/Drakaea_concolor)* attracts a rare and poorly known wasp whilst another also attracts a second, far more common species.[5]

*Drakaea thynniphila*

## Taxonomy and naming

The taxonomy of many orchid [genera](/source/Genus) is debated and there have been many changes to genera such as *[Caladenia](/source/Caladenia)*.[8] Hammer orchids, however are unique, are easily distinguished from other genera and there have been few changes to the limits of the genus since they were first described. However, there has been confusion and disagreement about classification within the genus. The latest review was carried out by [Stephen Hopper](/source/Stephen_Hopper) and Andrew Brown in 2007.[9]

The first species of hammer orchid to be formally described was *[Drakaea elastica](/source/Drakaea_elastica)*. [John Lindley](/source/John_Lindley) described that species in 1840 in *[A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony](/source/A_Sketch_of_the_Vegetation_of_the_Swan_River_Colony)*.[10][11] The common name (hammer orchid) refers to the shape of the labellum and the way it moves when the flower is being pollinated by a male insect.[12] The genus name (*Drakaea*) honours [Sarah ("Ducky") Drake](/source/Sarah_Drake),[9] a botanical artist who drew orchids and other plants to assist [taxonomists](/source/Taxonomist) in [England](/source/England) in the 19th century.[13]

## Distribution and habitat

The ten species of *Drakaea* are all found within the [south-west botanical province](/source/Southwest_Australia) of Western Australia, between the [Esperance](/source/Southwest_Australia) and [Geraldton](/source/Geraldton) districts. They usually grow in sandy soil in loose, scattered colonies.[2][14]

## Conservation

Five species of *Drakaea* have been classified by the Western Australian government Department of Parks and Wildlife as "Threatened", meaning that they are likely to become extinct or are in need of special protection and one is listed as "Priority One" meaning that it is known from one or a few locations[15] which are potentially at risk.[16]

A study[17] has shown that the rarity of many species of *Drakaea* is most likely to be due to habitat loss, the rarity of the specific pollinator or a narrow habitat requirement than the absence of the required [mycorrhizal](/source/Mycorrhiza) fungus or because of poor rates of [germination](/source/Germination).

## List of species

The following is a listed of species accepted by the [World Checklist of Selected Plant Families](/source/World_Checklist_of_Selected_Plant_Families) as at July 2019:

- *[Drakaea andrewsiae](/source/Drakaea_andrewsiae)* [Hopper](/source/Stephen_Hopper) & [A.P.Br](/source/Andrew_Phillip_Brown) [18] – lost hammer orchid;

- *[Drakaea concolor](/source/Drakaea_concolor)* [Hopper](/source/Stephen_Hopper) & [A.P.Br](/source/Andrew_Phillip_Brown) [19] – kneeling hammer orchid;

- *[Drakaea confluens](/source/Drakaea_confluens)* [Hopper](/source/Stephen_Hopper) & [A.P.Br](/source/Andrew_Phillip_Brown) [20] – late hammer orchid;

- *[Drakaea elastica](/source/Drakaea_elastica)* [Lindl.](/source/John_Lindley) [21] – glossy-leaved hammer orchid;

- *[Drakaea glyptodon](/source/Drakaea_glyptodon)* [Fitzg.](/source/Robert_D._FitzGerald) [22] – king in his carriage;

- *[Drakaea gracilis](/source/Drakaea_gracilis)* [Hopper](/source/Stephen_Hopper) & [A.P.Br](/source/Andrew_Phillip_Brown) [23] – slender hammer orchid;

- *[Drakaea isolata](/source/Drakaea_isolata)* [Hopper](/source/Stephen_Hopper) & [A.P.Br](/source/Andrew_Phillip_Brown) [24] – lonely hammer orchid;

- *[Drakaea livida](/source/Drakaea_livida)* [J.Drumm.](/source/James_Drummond_(botanist)) [25] – warty hammer orchid;

- *[Drakaea micrantha](/source/Drakaea_micrantha)* [Hopper](/source/Stephen_Hopper) & [A.P.Br](/source/Andrew_Phillip_Brown) [26] – dwarf hammer orchid;

- *[Drakaea thynniphila](/source/Drakaea_thynniphila)* [A.S.George](/source/Alex_George_(botanist)) [27] – narrow-lipped hammer orchid.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC_1-0)** ["*Drakaea*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/69666). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FloraBase_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FloraBase_2-1) ["*Drakaea*"](https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/21273). *[FloraBase](/source/FloraBase)*. Western Australian Government [Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions](/source/Department_of_Biodiversity%2C_Conservation_and_Attractions).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Turner_3-0)** Turner, Rowland (1907). ["A revision of the Thynnidae of Australia"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6383295#page/232/mode/1up). *Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales*. **32**: 206–290. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5962/bhl.part.19569](https://doi.org/10.5962%2Fbhl.part.19569). Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Cingel_4-0)** Cingel, N. A. van der (2000). [*An atlas of orchid pollination : America, Africa, Asia and Australia*](https://books.google.com/books?id=kUGL1TAaEtEC&q=Drakaea&pg=PA207). Rotterdam: Balkema. pp. 207–208. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9054104864](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9054104864). Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Mitchell_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Mitchell_5-1) Mitchell, Samille. ["Orchid seductress ropes in unsuspecting males"](https://phys.org/news/2015-05-orchid-seductress-ropes-unsuspecting-males.html). Science Network, Western Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Archer_6-0)** Archer, William (16 July 2008). ["King-in-his-carriage - Drakaea glyptodon"](http://esperancewildflowers.blogspot.com.au/2008/07/king-in-his-carriage-drakaea-glyptodon.html). Esperance Wildflowers. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-AG_7-0)** Phillips, R. D.; Bohman, B.; Anthony, J. M.; Krauss, S. L.; Dixon, K. W.; Peakall, R. (2015). ["Mismatch in the distribution of floral ecotypes and pollinators: Insights into the evolution of sexually deceptive orchids"](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fjeb.12593). *Journal of Evolutionary Biology*. **28** (3): 601–612. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/jeb.12593](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fjeb.12593). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [25619237](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25619237). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [27250034](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:27250034).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Hopper_(2)_8-0)** Hopper, Stephen D.; Brown, Andrew P. (2004). "Robert Brown's Caladenia revisited, including a revision of its sister genera Cyanicula, Ericksonella and Pheladenia (Caladeniinae: Orchidaceae)". *Australian Systematic Botany*. **17** (2): 171–240. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1071/SB03002](https://doi.org/10.1071%2FSB03002).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hopper_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hopper_9-1) Hopper, Stephen D.; Brown, Andrew P. (2007). "A revision of Australia' s hammer orchids (Drakaea: Orchidaceae), with some field data on species-specific sexually deceived wasp pollinators". *Australian Systematic Botany*. **20** (3): 252–285. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1071/SB06033](https://doi.org/10.1071%2FSB06033).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APNI_10-0)** ["*Drakaea elastica*"](https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/501391). APNI. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Lindley_11-0)** Lindley, John (1840). [*A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony*](http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044106366024;view=1up;seq=63). London: James Ridgway. p. 60. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BBC_12-0)** Oden, Lesley Evans. ["Three tricks orchids use to lure pollinating insects"](https://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150202-three-ways-orchids-trick-insects). British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BHL_13-0)** ["Book of the Week: Sarah Ann Drake & Women's History Month"](http://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2012/03/book-of-week-sarah-ann-drake-womens.html). Biodiversity Heritage Library. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-flora_14-0)** Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). *The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue*. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 85. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0646402439](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0646402439).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DPAW_15-0)** ["Conservation codes for Western Australian flora and fauna"](https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/images/documents/plants-animals/threatened-species/Listings/Conservation%20code%20definitions.pdf) (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 19 September 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-codes_16-0)** ["Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna"](https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/Referral_Documentation/DWERDT480152%20%20App%206%20-%202020%20Western%20Australian%20and%20Commonwealth%20of%20Australia%20Conservation%20Codes%282%29.pdf) (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 9 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Phillips_17-0)** Phillips, Ryan D. ["Landscape, pollinator and mycorrhizal specificity and their contribution to rarity in Drakaea (Hammer Orchids)"](http://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/files/4726124/Phillips_Ryan_David_2010.pdf) (PDF). School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC1_18-0)** ["*Drakaea andrewsiae*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/219740). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC2_19-0)** ["*Drakaea concolor*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/219741). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC3_20-0)** ["*Drakaea confluens*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/219742). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC4_21-0)** ["*Drakaea elastica*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/83694). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC5_22-0)** ["*Drakaea glyptodon*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/83741). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC6_23-0)** ["*Drakaea gracilis*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/219743). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC7_24-0)** ["*Drakaea isolata*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/219744). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC8_25-0)** ["*Drakaea livida*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/83835). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC9_26-0)** ["*Drakaea micrantha*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/219745). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APC10_27-0)** ["*Drakaea thynniphila*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/83857). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

## External links

- Media related to [Drakaea](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Drakaea) at Wikimedia Commons

- ["Sexual encounters of the floral kind"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9dhcEW9-7c). Youtube. 13 January 2013. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/Y9dhcEW9-7c) from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

Taxon identifiers Drakaea Wikidata: Q2673675 Wikispecies: Drakaea APNI: 69666 BOLD: 432070 CoL: 8VX4R EoL: 32843 FloraBase: 21273 FoAO2: Drakaea GBIF: 2833950 GRIN: 3973 iNaturalist: 148280 IPNI: 29346-1 IRMNG: 1380462 NCBI: 152869 Open Tree of Life: 114392 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:29346-1 Tropicos: 40035575 WFO: wfo-4000012529

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