Collected 1770: Bay of Inlets, Bustard Bay, Cape Grafton, Endeavour River
Observed 2016: Tully Gorge National Park, Stanage Bay
Capturing this orchid in all its extravagance, the artist has depicted ornately twisting flower sprays, lush leathery leaves, and gnarled withered bulbs. The fern, Drynaria rigidula, is also epiphytic and has been incorporated as a companion within the composition, intensifying the naturalism.
In North Queensland, Indigenous painters extract the viscous green juice from the fleshy stems and pseudobulbs of Dendrobium and other tree orchids to make a fixative for binding ground ochres to bark slabs, rock walls and human torsos. The plant is chewed to produce a useable sap that not only helps to attach pigments to a surface but also acts as a mordant to keep the colours strong and vibrant.