About Drakaea livida J.Drumm.
Like other species in its genus, Drakaea livida has a single ground-hugging leaf and an underground tuber. The leaf of this species is heart-shaped, around 20 millimetres (0.8 in) in diameter. It is somewhat glossy olive green, with darker lines radiating from its attachment to the stem. The stem grows 15–40 centimetres (6–20 in) long, and is sometimes longer. The single flower is borne on a stalk 12–15 millimetres (0.5–0.6 in) long. As with other hammer orchid flowers, the labellum of D. livida resembles a flightless female thynnid wasp; specifically, it mimics Zaspilothynnus nigripes. This species can be distinguished by its pointed column, the pointed, upturned tip of the labellum, and its swollen labellum body. The sepal at the back of the flower is 12–15 millimetres (0.5–0.6 in) long, while the two side sepals and the petals are each 10–12 millimetres (0.4–0.5 in) long. The insect-like labellum has a "head" that is up to one-third the length of its "body", with a pair of dark projections near the head base. The stalk that connects the labellum to its hinge is spotted. The section of the labellum representing the insect female's "body" is greenish-yellow at the top, spotted with maroon, and dark maroon and swollen at the lower end, matching the condition seen in Drakaea glyptodon. The "head" section of the labellum is about one-quarter the length of the "body", and may be either glabrous or covered with long hairs. Flowering occurs from August to mid-October. The warty hammer orchid, the common name for this species, is distributed from Watheroo to Fitzgerald River National Park, where it grows in sandy soil in woodland habitats.
