Pterostylis perculta

Pterostylis perculta, commonly known as the ruddy hood is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. Both flowering and non-flowering plants have a relatively large rosette of leaves and flowering plants have up to five reddish-brown and white flowers with relatively short tips on the sepals.

Ruddy hood
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Genus: Pterostylis
Species:
P. perculta
Binomial name
Pterostylis perculta
(D.L.Jones & C.J.French) D.L.Jones[1]
Synonyms[2]

Oligochaetochilus percultus M.A.Clem. & C.J.French

Description

Pterostylis perculta is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a rosette of leaves, the rosette up to 30 mm (1 in) in diameter. Flowering plants have a rosette at the base of the flowering stem but the leaves are usually withered by flowering time. Up to five reddish-brown and white flowers 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide are borne on a flowering stem 70–150 mm (3–6 in) tall. The dorsal sepal and petals form a hood or "galea" over the column with the dorsal sepal having a short point on its end. The lateral sepals turn downward with short tips curving forwards. The labellum is small, almost glabrous, dark brown and insect-like. Flowering occurs from September to November.[3]

Taxonomy and naming

This orchid was first formally described in 2014 by Mark Clements and Christopher French and given the name Oligochaetochilus percultus from a specimen collected near Cascade and the description was published in Australian Orchid Review.[4] In 2015 David Jones changed the name to Pterostylis perculta "to allow for the different taxonomic views".[1] It has previously been known as Pterostylis sp. 'Ongerup'. The specific epithet (perculta) a Latin word meaning "highly adorned".[5]

Distribution and habitat

The ruddy hood grows in rocky soil in shrubland and mallee woodland between the Stirling Range and the Thomas River.[3][6]

Conservation

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

References
  1. "Pterostylis perculta". APNI. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  2. "Pterostylis perculta". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. Brown, Andrew; Dundas, Pat; Dixon, Kingsley; Hopper, Stephen (2008). Orchids of Western Australia. Crawley, Western Australia: University of Western Australia Press. p. 381. ISBN 9780980296457.
  4. "Oligochaetochilus percultus". APNI. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 578.
  6. "Pterostylis perculta". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
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