Pterostylis hildae

Pterostylis hildae, commonly known as the rainforest greenhood, is a species of orchid found in eastern Australia. It has a rosette of leaves and when flowering a rosette at the base of a flowering stem with a single green, white and brown flower. It is found in wet forests, including rainforest in New South Wales and Queensland.

Rainforest greenhood
In Bongil Bongil National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Genus: Pterostylis
Species:
P. hildae
Binomial name
Pterostylis hildae

Description

Pterostylis hildae is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a rosette of between two and four elliptic leaves, each leaf 20–80 mm (0.8–3 in) long and 8–25 mm (0.3–1 in) wide. The leaves have a distinct petiole and sometimes a wavy edge. When flowering, there is a single green, white and brown flower 23–27 mm (0.9–1 in) long and 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) wide which is borne on a flowering spike 80–200 mm (3–8 in) high. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused to form a hood or "galea" over the column and the petals and dorsal sepal have a short point on their tips which end at or near horizontal. There is a wide gap at each side of the flower between the petals and lateral sepals. The lateral sepals are erect with a tapering tip 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long no higher than the galea and there is a curved sinus with a deep notch between them. The labellum is 11–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long, about 4 mm (0.2 in) wide, curved and projects through the sinus. Flowering occurs from March to October.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Pterostylis hildae was first described in 1937 by William Nicholls and the description was published in The Victorian Naturalist from a specimen collected on Tamborine Mountain.[4][5] The specific epithet (hildae) honours Hilda Geissmann for her contributions to nature study in Queensland.[5]

Distribution and habitat

The rainforest greenhood is widespread and common in wet forest and rainforest between the Atherton Tableland in Queensland and Wollongong in New South Wales.[2][3][6]

References
  1. "Pterostylis hildae". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 304. ISBN 978-1877069123.
  3. Jones, David L. "Pterostylis hildae". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  4. "Pterostylis hildae". APNI. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  5. Nicholls, William Henry (1937). "A new species of the genus Pterostylis R.Br". The Victorian Naturalist. 10 (2): 39–40. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  6. "Pterostylis hildae". Lucid keys:Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
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