Prasophyllum hians

Prasophyllum hians, commonly known as the yawning leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a common, tall leek orchid with a single smooth, tubular leaf and up to fifty or more pink and fawn flowers with a frilly labellum.

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

Description

Prasophyllum hians is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single smooth green, tube-shaped leaf 150–300 mm (6–10 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) in diameter. Between twenty and fifty or more flowers are arranged on a flowering stem 150–300 mm (6–10 in) tall. The flowers are pink and fawn, about 8 mm (0.3 in) long and 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, turns upwards through about 90° and has a frilly edge. Flowering occurs from September to November.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Prasophyllum hians was first formally described in 1871 by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach and the description was published in Beitrage zur Systematischen Pflanzenkunde.[1] The specific epithet (hians) is a Latin word meaning "open" or "gaping",[4] referring to the open appearance of the flower.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The yawning leek orchid grows in a range of habitats from wet areas to forest between Dongara and Israelite Bay in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions.[2][3][5]

Conservation

Prasophyllum hians is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[5]

References
  1. "Prasophyllum hians''". APNI. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  2. Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 370. 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. 334. ISBN 9780980296457.
  4. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 574.
  5. "Prasophyllum hians''". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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