Rhizanthella is a remarkable orchid that spends its entire life beneath the soil. It has no leaves, blooms underground, and survives by absorbing nutrients from a fungus that connects both to the soil and to the roots of the broom bush (Melaleuca uncinata).
The orchid first captured global attention in 1928 when a farmer in Western Australia discovered it while ploughing a field. Nearly a century later, it remains one of the world’s most elusive plants. Botanists searching for it must locate suitable habitats and then carefully remove soil to uncover its buried reddish flowers, which are enclosed in creamy-pink bracts and release a strong vanilla scent. The blooms are thought to be pollinated by termites or tiny flies.
There are five known species of Rhizanthella, all among the rarest orchids on Earth. Their numbers are extremely low, leaving them highly vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss and drought linked to climate change.
To prevent their disappearance, botanist Kingsley Dixon of the University of Western Australia is leading conservation efforts. His team is cultivating the orchid’s essential fungus together with its seeds in laboratory conditions, then transferring them to potted Melaleuca bushes in hopes of re-establishing healthy populations of this extraordinary underground orchid.
