Eriochilus petricola is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a slender ground orchid with a single leaf and up to three small, white to pale pink flowers and grows near rock ledges.
Eriochilus petricola is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber. It has a single, egg-shaped to almost round, dark green leaf NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with prominent veins and usually a hairy upper surface. Up to three white to pale pink flowers are borne on a slender spike up to 100sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall. The dorsal sepal is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and about 2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The lateral sepals are linear to thread-like, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide. The petals are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and about 0.6sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The labellum is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and about 2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and fleshy with tufts of red bristles. Flowering occurs from March to May.[1] [2]
Eriochilus petricola was first formally described in 2004 by David Jones and Mark Clements and the description was published in The Orchadian.[3] The specific epithet (petricola) is derived from the Ancient Greek words petra meaning "rock" or "shelf or ledge of rock"[4] and -cola meaning "dweller"
This orchid grows in shallow, sandy soil on and near rock ledges between Nowra, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and inland to the Blue Mountains.