Gastrodia entomogama

Gastrodia entomogama is a leafless terrestrial, mycotrophic herb that has a thick, fleshy, brittle, dark brown to blackish flowering stem bearing between five and sixty light brown to dark brown, tube-shaped flowers that are rough and warty outside and white inside. The sepals and petals are joined, forming a tube 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long. The petals have irregular or wavy edges. The labellum is 14–17 mm (0.6–0.7 in) long, 6.5–8 mm (0.26–0.31 in) wide and white with orange-coloured edges. Flowering occurs from December to January but the flowers are self-pollinating.[2][3]

Gastrodia entomogama was first formally described in 1991 by David Jones from a specimen he collected on Mount Franklin in 1990. The description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[4] The specific epithet (entomogama) is derived from the Ancient Greek words entomon meaning "insect"[5]^: 439 and gamos meaning "marriage" or "union",[5]^: 361 referring to the flowers originally being described as insect-pollinated.[3]

The Brindabella potato orchid grows with shrubs and grasses in forest. It is only known for certain from a few locations in the Australian Capital Territory.[2][3]