Modern Australian
Men's Weekly

.

Warty hammer orchids are sexual deceivers

  • Written by Ryan Phillips, Senior Lecturer in Ecology, Environment & Evolution, La Trobe University

Orchids are famed for their beautiful and alluring flowers – and the great lengths to which people will go to experience them in the wild. Among Australian orchids, evocative names such as The Butterfly Orchid, The Queen of Sheeba, and Cleopatra’s Needles conjure up images of rare and beautiful flowers.

Yet there is a rich diversity of our orchids. Some are diminutive, warty, and unpleasant-smelling, bearing little resemblance to a typical flower.

Read more: 'The worst kind of pain you can imagine' – what it's like to be stung by a stinging tree

While many orchid enthusiasts have a soft spot for these quirky members of the Australian flora, what has brought them international recognition is their flair for using some of the most bizarre reproductive strategies on Earth.

Warty hammer orchids are sexual deceivers The Conversation/Ryan Phillips/Suzi Bond., CC BY Sexual mimicry From the very beginnings of pollination research in Australia there were signs that something unusual was going on in the Australian orchid flora. In the 1920s Edith Coleman from Victoria made the sensational discovery that the Australian tongue and bonnet orchids (Cryptostylis) were pollinated by males of a particular species of ichneumonid wasp attempting to mate with the flower. But this was just the beginning. Warty hammer orchids are sexual deceivers The King-in-his-carriage, Drakaea glyptodon, is the most common species of hammer orchid. Here the flower is pictured next to the female of its pollinating thynnine wasp, Zaspilothynnus trilobatus. Rod Peakall, Author provided We now know that while the insect species involved may vary, many of our orchid species use this strategy. Australia is the world centre for sexual deception in plants. Perhaps the most sophisticated flower of all sexually deceptive plants is seen in the hammer orchids, a diminutive genus that only grows in southwestern Australia. Their solitary stem reaches a height of around 40cm, and each stem produces a single flower no more than 4cm in length. Even among sexually deceptive orchids, hammer orchids stand out from the crowd. They have a single heart-shaped leaf that sits flush with the soil surface, and grow in areas of dry inhospitable sand – an unusual choice for an orchid. Warty hammer orchids are sexual deceivers The thynnine wasp Zaspilothynnus nigripes is a sexually deceived. pollinator of the Warty hammer orchid. Here they are pictured in copula, with the flightless female having been carried to a food source by the male. Keith Smith, Author provided And then there is the flower. Not only does the lip of the flower more closely resemble an insect than a petal, but it is hinged partway along. All of which starts to makes sense once you see the pollinators in action. Like many other Australian sexually deceptive orchids, they are pollinated by thynnine wasps – a unique group in which the male picks up the flightless female and they mate in flight. In the case of hammer orchids, the male grasps the insect-like lip and attempts to fly off with “her”. The combination of his momentum and the hinge mechanism swings him upside down and onto the orchid’s reproductive structures. It’s not me, it’s you (you’re a flower) So, how do you trick a wasp? Accurate visual mimicry of the female insect does not appear to be essential, as there are some sexually deceptive orchids that are brightly coloured like a regular flower. Instead, the key ingredient for attracting pollinators to the flower is mimicking the sex pheromone of the female insect. And boy, is this pheromone potent. Indeed, one of the strangest fieldwork experiences I’ve had was wasps flying through my open car window while stopped at traffic lights, irresistibly drawn to make love to the hammer orchids sitting on the passenger seat! Warty hammer orchids are sexual deceivers Pollination of the Warty hammer orchid by a male of the thynnine wasp Zaspilothynnus nigripes. Suzi Bond, Author provided While determining the chemicals responsible for attraction of sexually deceived pollinators is a laborious process, we now know that multiple classes of chemicals are involved, several of which were new to science or had no previously known function in plants. What’s more, we are still discovering new and unexpected cases of sexual deception in orchids that don’t conform to the insect-like appearance of many sexually deceptive orchids. A classic example is the case of the Warty hammer orchid and the Kings spider orchid – these two species have totally different-looking flowers, yet both are pollinated by the same wasp species through sexual deception. While the ability to attract sexually excited males without closely resembling a female insect may partly explain the evolution of sexual deception, it does not explain the benefit of evolving this strategy in the first place. A leading hypothesis for the evolution of sexual deception is that mate-seeking males be more efficient at finding orchid flowers than food-foraging pollinators – but this remains a work in progress. Warty hammer orchids are sexual deceivers The life cycle of the Warty hammer orchid and its pollinator species, highlighting the complex ecological requirements needed to support a population of. the orchid. Martin Thompson, Author provided From a conservation point of view, pollination by sexual deception has some interesting challenges. Female animals produce sex pheromones that only attract males of their own species. This means an orchid that mimics a sex pheromone typically relies on a single pollinator species. As such, conservation of any given orchid species requires the presence of a viable population of a particular pollinator. Further, an interesting quirk of these sexually deceptive systems is the potential for cryptic forms of the orchid: where populations of orchids that appear identical to human observers actually attract different pollinator species through shifts in pheromone chemistry. Indeed, of the ten known species of hammer orchid, three contain cryptic forms. Read more: Australia’s unusual species Not only does this create a major challenge for managing rare species, it raises the possibility that – should these forms prove to be separate species – the true diversity of sexually deceptive orchids could be greatly underestimated. Warty hammer orchids are sexual deceivers Sign up to Beating Around the Bush, a series that profiles native plants: part gardening column, part dispatches from country, entirely Australian.

Authors: Ryan Phillips, Senior Lecturer in Ecology, Environment & Evolution, La Trobe University

Read more http://theconversation.com/warty-hammer-orchids-are-sexual-deceivers-107805

From Service to Strength: How Aussie Veterans Are Rebuilding Their Lives with Everyday Support

Life after military service can bring new challenges. From physical limitations to mental health hurdles, many Australian veterans find everyday hou...

The Best Times of Year to Buy a Caravan

If you're shopping for caravans for sale, timing matters almost as much as the layout and features you desire. The calendar shapes price, stock and ...

The Growing Demand for Smart Living Through Home Automation

Technology has reshaped how we communicate, work, and travel—but now, it’s also changing the way we live at home. The rise of home automation i...

Beyond Clicks and Likes: Why Many Small Businesses in Australia Still Aren’t Leveraging Digital Marketing in 2025

Introduction In 2025, online marketing has become the driving force behind business growth for companies of all sizes. Yet, despite its proven effect...

Lighting Shop Perth: Your Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Lighting Solutions

Lighting is a fundamental element in defining the ambiance, functionality, and aesthetic appeal of any space. Whether you are renovating your home, ...

Private Booze Cruisers – The New Must-Have Toy for Cashed Up Millennials

Did you hear that your 30s are the new 20s? We’ve finally rocked up that adult money and now it’s time to play with it. I was going for a walk ...

Grinding & Jaw Soreness: Signs You Might Need Night Guards and How We Protect Enamel

Waking with a tight jaw, tender muscles, or a dull temple headache is more than a bad night’s sleep. Many Australians grind or clench their teeth ...

Circular Interior Design: Furnishing with Salvaged & Reclaimed Materials

Circular interior design is gradually making its way from niche circles into mainstream Australian homes. At its core, this approach revolves around...

Invisible Braces vs Traditional Braces: Which Is Best for Adults?

Straightening teeth as an adult is common in Australia, and the options are better than ever. The two main choices are clear aligners, also called i...

Smoking, Vaping, and Healing: How Nicotine Affects Sockets and What you can do About it

Nicotine and oral surgery are a poor mix. After an wisdom teeth removal in Sydney, your body needs a stable blood clot and steady blood flow to rebu...

Titanium and Bone: How Dental Implants Become Part of the Jaw

Dental implants replace missing teeth by anchoring a metal fixture in the jaw and fitting a crown on top. Their success rests on a biological event ...

Do Wisdom Teeth Really Make You Wiser? Debunking Old Beliefs

Wisdom teeth are among the most discussed teeth in dentistry, not because of their function but because of the myths that surround them. The name it...

How Long Do Dental Implants Really Last? The Facts Dentists Won’t Skip

Australians often ask one simple question before green-lighting treatment: how long will a dental implant actually last? The short answer is that th...

The Confidence Curve: Why Implants Change the Way You Carry Yourself

Losing a tooth is not just a physical change; it alters the way people see themselves and how they believe others perceive them. While dentistry has...

Why Reliable Air Conditioning Services Are Essential for Year-Round Comfort

Melbourne’s climate is known for its unpredictable swings—from scorching summers to chilly winters. This variability makes it crucial for homes ...

Expert Plumbing Solutions in Perth: From Hot Water Systems to Leak Detection

Plumbing is one of those things we often take for granted—until something goes wrong. From stepping into an unexpectedly cold shower to discovering ...

Eco-smart Car Removal in Sydney: Practical Steps That Cut Waste and Return Value

Sydney’s ageing cars add up to a serious waste stream, and choosing the right removal service makes a measurable difference. Your decision sends m...

Measuring the Success of Your Bus Advertising Campaign

Bus ads turn everyday travel into high-reach media. They move through busy corridors, sit in traffic where people can read them, and keep working af...