Prasophyllum calcicola

Prasophyllum calcicola, commonly known as the limestone leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Australia. It has a single, smooth, tube-shaped leaf and up to twelve yellowish-green flowers on an erect flowering stem. It is found in coastal areas of Western Australia and South Australia growing on soils derived from limestone.

Limestone leek orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Subtribe: Prasophyllinae
Genus: Prasophyllum
Species:
P. calcicola
Binomial name
Prasophyllum calcicola

Description

Prasophyllum calcicola is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single smooth, tube-shaped leaf which is 50–150 mm (2–6 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) in diameter near the reddish base. Between three and twelve or more flowers are arranged on a flowering spike. The flowers are yellowish-green, about 4 mm (0.2 in) long and 3 mm (0.1 in) wide. As with others in the genus, the flowers are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped to lance-shaped, about 2 mm (0.08 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide and green with a red edge. The lateral sepals are lance-shaped, 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long and joined to each other for about half their length. The petals are triangular in shape, about 2 mm (0.08 in) long and 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The labellum is 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, oblong to lance-shaped and turns upward at 90° about half-way along. Flowering occurs in September and October.[1][2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Prasophyllum calcicola was first formally described in 1989 by Robert Bates and the description was published in Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden from a specimen collected in the Warrenben Conservation Park.[1][4] The specific epithet (calcicola) is derived from the Latin words calx meaning "limestone"[5]:205 and -cola meaning "dweller",[5]:478 referring to the usual habitat of this species.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The limestone leek orchid grows in coastal areas in calcareous sand and near limestone. It occurs between north of Geraldton and Israelite Bay in Western Australia and in the south-east of South Australia.[2][3][6]

Conservation

This orchid is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[6]

References
  1. Bates, Robert John (1989). "Prasophyllum calcicola, P. macrostachyum and P. ringens (Orchidaceae): three similar species from Western and southern Australia" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. 11 (2): 179–182. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  2. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 358. ISBN 9780646562322.
  3. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 324. ISBN 9780980296457.
  4. "Prasophyllum calcicola". APNI. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  6. "Prasophyllum calcicola". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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