Helping protect a little-known South Australian orchid
Second Nature Conservancy has partnered with the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and the Threatened Plant Action Group (TPAG) to help restore habitat for the nationally vulnerable Sandhill Greenhood Orchid (Pterostylis arenicola).
Growing to around 25 cm tall, this striking orchid has green and rustic-red striped flowers and can produce up to 10 flowers per plant. It begins flowering in August and is found in native pine and Eucalyptus porosa woodlands and coastal sand dunes.
Orchids are important bioindicators of ecosystem health, a decline in orchid populations can be a telltale sign of the decline in mycorrhizal fungi and soil health. This orchid is endemic to South Australia and faces many threats to its survival, with the biggest being invasive Perennial Veldt Grass, Oxalis, Freesia and African Boxthorn. Rabbits are also a cause for concern across the region, due to overgrazing of native herbaceous species.
Sandhill Greenhood Orchid (Pterostylis arenicola)
Fire is another important consideration. Native pine woodlands are vulnerable to intense fire, and dense Perennial Veldt Grass can add significantly to the fuel load, increasing the risk of a hot fire damaging these sensitive ecosystems.
SNC has worked with Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board & TPAG over the past few years to control the Perennial Veldt Grass and other herbaceous weeds, as well as African Boxthorn. In 2026, we also worked with Ngarrindjeri community to survey rabbit warrens in the area.
This project is supported by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board through funding from the landscape levies.
Treating boxthorn
