[lie-per-an-thuss]
From lyperos, mournful, and anthos, a flower; referring to the sombre appearance of the best known species, L. nigricans, when dried.
A genus of about 12 species closely allied to Caladenia and extending to New Zealand and New Caledonia. Stems two or more-flowered, either with one radical leaf, or two or three almost leaf-like empty bracts, or with about two stem-leaves. The flowers which have the appearance of coarse spider orchids, are produced from sheathing bracts, and have the upper sepal broad and hooded.
Fitzgerald considered Lyperanthus an unsatisfactory inter-mediate genus, stating that it was "erroneously described by Bentham as producing small underground tubers, whereas the roots of L. nigricans are clustered, thick and fleshy."

L. nigricans, Brown; black.
"Potato orchid" "Rattle orchid"
Stem from a few inches to 1 ft. high, leaf radical, ovate, 1 to 2 in. long, thick and fleshy. Flowers, two to five, white, striped with deep crimson, rarely pure white, enclosed by sheathing bracts; upper sepal broad and much incurved, lower ones and petals long, linear, curving gracefully. Lip shorter, margins fringed. Column incurved, not winged, the circular peltate stigma very prominent. The plants do not always produce flowers, and Fitzgerald's note on this subject is interesting: "This species only flowers after fires have passed. Where a fire had been, every plant produces a flower-stem. Nearby, where the fire had not reached them, leaves of plants were numerous, but not a single flower or bud."
W.A.: Boyup Brook, Busselton, Darling Range, Highbury, Pindalup, Ravonswood, Stirling Range. August - October.

L. serratus, Lindley; toothed. (Caladenia serrata Reichenbach.) A stout plant over 1 ft. high. Leaf broadly linear, often over 1 ft. long. Flowers 4 to 6, pale green, shaded to yellow, streaked and suffused with crimson, bracts acuminate, over 1in. long. Upper sepal lanceolate, incurved, concave, 1/2 in. or more long, lateral sepals shortly acuminate. Lateral petals narrower and longer. Middle lobe of lip recurved and brush-like at the tip with crowded calli.
W.A.: Busselton. Gosnelli, Jarnadup, Kojonup, Pinjarra, York. September - October.

L. Forrestii, F. Von Mueller; named in honour of Lord Forrest. Leaves three, at or near the base of the stem, the lowest
ovate-lanceolate, with a solitary small narrow-lanceolate leaf or bract near the middle of the stem. Flowers white with pink shading and deep crimson markings and dots, two or four, on rather long and slender stalklets, bracts rather large; perianth segments about equal, lateral sepals spreading, obfalcate, the bases very attenuated; dorsal sepal erect, much wider, concave, lateral petals falcate-lanceolate. Lip almost obovate with a long attenuated base, erect in lower half, margins scalloped but not fringed, nearly 1/2 in. long, dotted all over with minute calli. Column very narrowly winged.
This orchid was originally collected near the Stirling Range by the late Lord Forrest.
Extract from Dr. Rogers' notes accompanying detailed and supplementary description (Transactions and Proceedings Royal Society S.A., XLIV. 1920): "The leaves of this rare plant were identified in situ at Lake Chockerup. Some young plants were removed by Dr. A. Syme Johnson cultivated in Albany, where they bloomed about the middle of November the same year. An opportunity was thus afforded to examine the plant in a living state and so supplement the original description of F. von Mueler 'from the few dried and much shrivelled specimens hitherto secured.'