About Pheladenia deformis (R.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.
Pheladenia deformis is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial orchid herb. It has a few inconspicuous fine roots, and a tuber that is partly surrounded by a fibrous sheath. This tuber produces two droppers that develop into daughter tubers the following year. A single hairy convolute leaf grows at the base of the plant; the leaf is linear, 3–10 cm long and 2–5 mm wide, with a few hairs around 1 mm long, especially along its edges. There is usually a single flower borne on a stem that is 5–15 cm high. The three sepals and two lateral petals are 14–20 mm long and 3–5 mm wide. Their outer surface usually has a small number of glandular hairs, while the inner surface is bright blue, or occasionally white, pinkish, or yellow. Like most orchids, one petal of this species is highly modified into a central labellum. The labellum is dark blue near its tip and white near its base, 10–14 mm long and 4–6 mm wide. The edge of the labellum is fringed and covered in many stalked calli, which gives the species its common name blue beard. The column is 7–10 mm long and 3–4 mm wide. This orchid, commonly called the blue fairy orchid, grows in a wide range of habitats, including swamp margins, granite outcrops, heath, woodland, and forest. It occurs in every Australian state except Queensland and the Northern Territory. In Western Australia, it grows from north of Kalbarri east to Israelite Bay on the south coast. In New South Wales, it is uncommon, but sometimes forms clumps on the Central West Slopes and South West Plains south of Molong.
