Hidden beneath the soil of Western Australia lies one of nature’s most remarkable plants — Rhizanthella, an orchid that spends its entire life underground. Unlike most plants, it never sees the light of day, has no leaves, and blooms beneath the surface. It survives by feeding on nutrients provided by a specific fungus, which in turn connects to the roots of the broom bush (Melaleuca uncinata), creating a delicate underground network of life.
Discovered in 1928 by a farmer ploughing a field, Rhizanthella caused an international sensation. Nearly a century later, it remains one of the rarest and most mysterious orchids in the world. Finding it requires searching the right habitats and carefully scraping away soil to uncover its small, reddish flowers wrapped in creamy-pink bracts. The blossoms release a rich vanilla scent and are thought to be pollinated by termites or tiny flies.
There are five known species of Rhizanthella, all critically rare and highly vulnerable to extinction. Habitat loss and worsening droughts linked to climate change continue to threaten their fragile existence.
In response, botanist Kingsley Dixon from the University of Western Australia is racing to conserve this hidden treasure. His team is experimenting with growing the orchid’s symbiotic fungus alongside its seeds in laboratory conditions, before transferring the young plants to pots containing Melaleuca bushes. The hope is that these efforts will one day secure the survival of one of Earth’s most unusual flowering plants — the orchid that blooms unseen, beneath the ground.
