# Rhizanthella

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Genus of flowering plants

Underground orchids Rhizanthella gardneri Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Orchidaceae Subfamily: Orchidoideae Tribe: Diurideae Subtribe: Rhizanthellinae R.S.Rogers Genus: Rhizanthella R.S.Rogers[1] Type species Rhizanthella gardneri R.S.Rogers (1928) Synonyms[1] Cryptanthemis Rupp

***Rhizanthella***, commonly known as **underground orchids**,[2] is a [genus](/source/Genus) of flowering plants in the orchid family, [Orchidaceae](/source/Orchidaceae) and is [endemic](/source/Endemism) to Australia. All are leafless, living underground in [symbiosis](/source/Symbiosis) with [mycorrhizal](/source/Mycorrhiza) fungi. The [inflorescence](/source/Inflorescence) is a head of flowers held at, or just above the ground but mostly covered by soil or leaf litter and little is known about the mechanism of [pollination](/source/Pollination).

## Description

Orchids in the genus *Rhizanthella* are mostly underground, [perennial](/source/Perennial_plant), [sympodial](/source/Sympodial), [mycotrophic](/source/Mycotrophic) [herbs](/source/Herbaceous_plant) with fleshy underground stems which produce new shoots at [nodes](/source/Plant_stem) where there are colourless leaf-like [cataphylls](/source/Cataphyll). There are no roots and new [tubers](/source/Tuber) form at the end of short stems. The leaves are reduced to scale-like structures lacking [chlorophyll](/source/Chlorophyll), pressed against and sheathing the stems.[2][3][4][5]

The inflorescence is a head containing many flowers and is held at, or just above ground level but the head is usually covered with leaf litter or soil. The head is surrounded by a large number of overlapping [bracts](/source/Bract) and each flower has an erect, elongated bract at its base. The flowers are non-[resupinate](/source/Resupination#Orchidaceae), arranged in a spiral, inward-facing, dull coloured and lack a stalk. The [sepals](/source/Sepal) and [petals](/source/Petal) form a short, curved hood over the [labellum](/source/Labellum_(botany)) and [column](/source/Column_(botany)), open on one side. The [lateral](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lateral) sepals are joined to each other and to the [dorsal](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dorsal) sepal at their bases. The petals are joined at their bases to the [column](/source/Column_(botany)) and are shorter than the sepals. The labellum is different in size, shape and colouration from the other petals and sepals, is thick, fleshy and has no [nectar](/source/Nectar). The column is short with short wings. Flowering time depends on species and is followed by the fruit which is a berry that does not split open ([indehiscent](/source/Dehiscence_(botany))) and which contains 50 to 250 minute seeds.[2][3][4][5]

Underground orchids do not possess chloroplasts but they retain [plastid](/source/Plastid) genes, although *[R. gardneri](/source/Rhizanthella_gardneri)* possesses one of the smallest [organelle](/source/Organelle) [genome](/source/Genome) yet described in land plants.[6]

## Taxonomy and naming

The first formal description of an underground orchid was by [Richard Sanders Rogers](/source/Richard_Sanders_Rogers) who published his description of *[R. gardneri](/source/Rhizanthella_gardneri)* in the *[Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia](/source/Royal_Society_of_Western_Australia)* in 1928.[7][8] The name "*Rhizanthella*" is a diminutive of *[Rhizanthes](/source/Rhizanthes)*, a parasitic plant in the Family [Rafflesiaceae](/source/Rafflesiaceae).[9] The name "*Rhizanthes*" is derived from the [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) words *rhiza* meaning "root"[10]: 666 and *anthos* meaning "flower".[10]: 338

### Species list

Five species are recognised by the [Plants of the World Online](/source/Plants_of_the_World_Online):

- *[Rhizanthella gardneri](/source/Rhizanthella_gardneri)* [R.S.Rogers](/source/R.S.Rogers)[11] – western underground orchid (W.A.)

- *[Rhizanthella johnstonii](/source/Rhizanthella_johnstonii)* [K.W.Dixon](/source/Kingsley_Wayne_Dixon) & [Christenh.](/source/Maarten_J._M._Christenhusz)[12] – south coast underground orchid (W.A.)

- *[Rhizanthella omissa](/source/Rhizanthella_omissa)* [D.L.Jones](/source/David_L._Jones_(botanist)) & [M.A.Clem.](/source/Mark_Alwin_Clements)[13] (Qld.)

- *[Rhizanthella slateri](/source/Rhizanthella_slateri)* ([Rupp](/source/Herman_Rupp)) M.A.Clem. & [P.J.Cribb](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phillip_James_Cribb&action=edit&redlink=1)[14] – eastern Australian underground orchid (N.S.W.)

- *[Rhizanthella speciosa](/source/Rhizanthella_speciosa)* M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones[15] (N.S.W.)

## Distribution and habitat

*[Rhizanthella gardneri](/source/Rhizanthella_gardneri)* occurs in the south-west of [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia) where it grows in association with broombush (*[Melaleuca uncinata](/source/Melaleuca_uncinata)*).[2] [*R. johnstonii*](/source/Rhizanthella_johnstonii), also from WA, was split from *R. gardneri* in 2018.[16][17] *[Rhizanthella omissa](/source/Rhizanthella_omissa)* has only been collected once, at an elevation of 1,200 m (4,000 ft) in the [Lamington National Park](/source/Lamington_National_Park) in [Queensland](/source/Queensland).[18] *[Rhizanthella slateri](/source/Rhizanthella_slateri)*, formerly known as *Cryptanthemis slateri,* occurs in the [Blue Mountains](/source/Blue_Mountains_(New_South_Wales)) and similar ranges in [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales) where it grows in [sclerophyll](/source/Sclerophyll) forest.[5] *[R. speciosa](/source/Rhizanthella_speciosa)* was discovered in 2016 in wet sclerophyll forest in [Barrington Tops](/source/Barrington_Tops), which contrasts with the more-open dry forest habitat of *R. slateri*.[17]

## Ecology

The pollination mechanism of *Rhizanthella* is not known. A single specimen of a small fly from the genus *[Megaselia](/source/Megaselia)*, some small wasps and termites are the only observations of insects carrying [pollinia](/source/Pollinia) of *Rhizanthella*.[3]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-POWO_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-POWO_1-1) ["*Rhizanthella*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30516-1#synonyms). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 13 May 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Hoffman_2-3) Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). *Orchids of South-West Australia* (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. pp. 386–389. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780646562322](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780646562322).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Orchids_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Orchids_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Orchids_3-2) Alec M. Pridgeon; Phillip J. Cribb; Mark W. Chase; Finn N. Rasmussen, eds. (2001). *Genera Orchidacearum, Volume 2, Orchidoideae (part 1)*. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 186–193. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0198507100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0198507100).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FloraBase_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FloraBase_4-1) ["*Rhizanthella*"](https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/21295). *[FloraBase](/source/FloraBase)*. Western Australian Government [Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions](/source/Department_of_Biodiversity%2C_Conservation_and_Attractions).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RBGS_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RBGS_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-RBGS_5-2) Weston, Peter H. ["Genus *Rhizanthella*"](http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&showsyn=&dist=&constat=&lvl=gn&name=Rhizanthella). Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 20 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Oxford_6-0)** Delannoy, Etienne; Fujii, Sota; Colas des Francs-Small, Catherine; Brundrett, Mark; Small, Ian (2 February 2011). ["Rampant Gene Loss in the Underground Orchid Rhizanthella gardneri Highlights Evolutionary Constraints on Plastid Genomes"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112369). *Molecular Biology and Evolution*. **28** (7): 2077–2086. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/molbev/msr028](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fmolbev%2Fmsr028). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [3112369](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112369). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [21289370](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21289370).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APNI_7-0)** ["*Rhizanthella gardneri*"](http://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/477139). APNI. Retrieved 20 July 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-R.S.Rogers_8-0)** Rogers, Richard Sanders (1928). ["A New Genus of Australian Orchid"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/173678#page/53/mode/1up). *Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia*. **15** (1): 1. Retrieved 26 September 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Quattrocchi_9-0)** Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). *R - Z*. Boca Raton, FL: CRC World Dictionary of Pant Names (R-Z). p. 2296. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0849326788](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0849326788).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RWB_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RWB_10-1) Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). *The Composition of Scientific Words*. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-POWO1_11-0)** ["*Rhizanthella gardneri*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:655670-1). Kew Science - Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 25 September 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-POWO2_12-0)** ["*Rhizanthella johnstonii*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77176525-1). Kew Science - Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 25 September 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-POWO3_13-0)** ["*Rhizanthella omissa*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77077242-1). Kew Science - Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 25 September 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-POWO4_14-0)** ["*Rhizanthella slateri*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:75519-3). Kew Science - Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 25 September 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-POWO5_15-0)** ["*Rhizanthella speciosa*"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77219091-1). Kew Science - Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 13 May 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Dixon, Kingsley W.; Christenhusz, Maarten J. M. (2018-01-12). ["Flowering in darkness: a new species of subterranean orchid Rhizanthella (Orchidaceae; Orchidoideae; Diurideae) from Western Australia"](https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.334.1.12). *Phytotaxa*. **334** (1): 75–79. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.11646/phytotaxa.334.1.12](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fphytotaxa.334.1.12). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1179-3163](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1179-3163).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ClementsJones2020_17-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ClementsJones2020_17-1) Clements, Mark A.; Jones, David L. (2020-07-30). ["Notes on Australasian Orchids 6: A new species of Rhizanthella (Diurideae, subtribe Prasophyllinae) from Eastern Australia"](https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/lankesteriana/article/view/43271). *Lankesteriana*: 221–227–221–227. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.15517/lank.v20i2.43271](https://doi.org/10.15517%2Flank.v20i2.43271). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2215-2067](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2215-2067).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-orchidspecies_18-0)** ["*Rhizanthella omissa*"](http://www.orchidspecies.com/rhizomissa.htm). Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20 July 2016.

## Further reading

- Jones, David L. (2006).*A complete guide to native orchids of Australia: including the island territories*. Frenchs Forest. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-877069-12-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-877069-12-4).

- [Underground orchid - Rhizanthella gardneri](https://web.archive.org/web/20080311222734/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/plants_and_algae/Rhizanthella_gardneri/) at ARKive.org (includes photographs)

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

Taxon identifiers Rhizanthella Wikidata: Q137012 Wikispecies: Rhizanthella APNI: 68255 BOLD: 1084810 CoL: 8W34H EoL: 108566 FloraBase: 21295 GBIF: 2816804 GRIN: 10392 iNaturalist: 429700 IPNI: 30516-1 IRMNG: 1384631 NCBI: 112167 Open Tree of Life: 863118 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30516-1 Tropicos: 40024742 WFO: wfo-4000032977 Rhizanthellinae Wikidata: Q21447122 Wikispecies: Rhizanthellinae iNaturalist: 496285 NCBI: 158356 Open Tree of Life: 902479 Tropicos: 100481521

Authority control databases: National Israel

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rhizanthella](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizanthella) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizanthella?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.