Kevin Heyhoe lost his house in the summer's bushfires, but he says he is more gutted to see the destruction of a rainforest gully on his property that contained an unusual species of orchid.

Key points: Bushfires have placed the rare tangle orchid, found on the banks of the Snowy River, at risk of local extinction

Bushfires have placed the rare tangle orchid, found on the banks of the Snowy River, at risk of local extinction The orchid blooms with very small, delicately scented white, brown and green-spotted flowers

The orchid blooms with very small, delicately scented white, brown and green-spotted flowers Any chance of it growing back depends on a complex chain of symbiotic events, including the regrowth of local water gums

Mr Heyhoe discovered tangle orchids (Plectorrhiza tridentata) on his property at Bete Bolong North in East Gippsland in December, but major fires soon struck the area.

"I lost my fences and I lost the house, but I was more gutted to lose the rainforest gully," he said.

Trust For Nature conservation officer Paul Harvey went to the site, making note of rocks in the area because all of the vegetation was gone.

"Sure enough, the orchid's gone," Mr Harvey said.

"There is no trace of it, and their host plants, the water gums or kanookas, have all been toasted."

'Things aren't good'

Some of the kanookas not completely burnt have started to reshoot at the base.

Any chance of the orchid growing back was dependent on a complex chain of symbiotic events, Mr Harvey said.

The orchid was found in a gully on private property near the Snowy River. ( Supplied: Trust For Nature )

"In order to get the orchid back, you need to get the canopy of the kanooka and lilly pilly back; it's got to grow over into this green tunnel along the waterway.

"Once that's there and the humidity builds up within that closed canopy, then you've got to hope for the fungus that the orchid requires to grow."

Another strand of tangle orchid discovered at Woods Point was also burnt, and Trust For Nature had yet to establish whether those recorded at Brodribb survived.

"These plants are very rare and restricted in their distribution anyway, so they're already doing it tough," Mr Harvey said.

"The climate's changing, and it won't be to their advantage, so you can expect a contraction in their range anyway, then you throw in a catastrophic bushfire and things aren't good."

Gully scorched by bushfire

Mr Heyhoe has a Trust For Nature covenant over half his property and said he was devastated to lose the patch of rare orchids.

"It was deep in a gully with a creek flowing through it, and I just got there and couldn't believe the heat that had been through there — it's like a sandy patch of desert now," he said.

The tangle orchids flower in October and November with very small, delicately scented white, brown and green-spotted flowers.

They have a long stem that can run up the side of trees 10 metres high.

"There's just no sign of the orchid now. One of the tree ferns has survived but the orchid is gone," Mr Heyhoe said.

"Do you know that proverb about planting trees under whose shade you'll never sit? That's the way I feel about my rainforest gully and the rare orchids ... it's heartbreaking."

About 100 butterfly orchids (Sarcochilus australis) growing on the property were also burnt.

Mr Heyhoe said he would work on getting weeds under control and re-fencing to keep cattle out of the gully, with the hope of re-establishing the environment where the orchid might thrive.

"I was delighted to see a lace monitor there and a water dragon as well, but I don't know how long it will take.

"There has never been a fire that I know of that's been this severe in the area, so we'll just have to see how we go."