Prasophyllum giganteum

Prasophyllum giganteum, commonly known as the bronze leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall, fragrant leek orchid with a single smooth, tubular leaf and up to fifty or more green and pinkish-purple flowers with a frilly labellum.

Bronze 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. giganteum
Binomial name
Prasophyllum giganteum
Synonyms

Prasophyllum grimwadeanum Nicholls[2]

Description

Prasophyllum giganteum is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single smooth green, tube-shaped leaf 300–1,000 mm (10–40 in) long and 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) in diameter. Between fifteen and fifty or more flowers are arranged on a flowering stem 400–1,200 mm (20–50 in) tall. The flowers are green and pinkish-purple, 18 mm (0.7 in) long and 10 mm (0.4 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 lateral sepals are joined to each other and the petals face forwards. The labellum is white, tinged with pink, turns upwards through about 90° and has a frilly edge. Flowering occurs from September to November but usually only after fire the previous summer.[3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

The bronze leek orchid was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley and the description was published in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.[1] The specific epithet (giganteum) is a Latin word meaning "large" or "gigantic",[5] referring to the tall flowering stem.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The bronze leek orchid grows in heath and woodland in coastal areas and occurs between Kalbarri and Israelite Bay in the Esperance Plains, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions.[3][4][6]

Conservation

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

References
  1. "Prasophyllum giganteum". APNI. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  2. "Prasophyllum grimwadeanum". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 372. ISBN 9780646562322.
  4. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 334. ISBN 9780980296457.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 461.
  6. "Prasophyllum giganteum". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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