Prasophyllum australe

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Prasophyllum australe
Prasophyllum gracile (8692967674).jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Genus: Prasophyllum
Species:
P. australe
Binomial name
Prasophyllum australe

Prasophyllum australe, commonly known as the southern leek orchid or austral leek orchid, is a species of orchid and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single tubular, green leaf and up to fifty scented, greenish-brown flowers with red stripes.

Contents

Description

Prasophyllum australe is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single green, tube-shaped leaf up to 350 mm (10 in) long and 8 mm (0.3 in) in diameter near its reddish base. Up to fifty or more highly scented flowers are arranged along 60–200 mm (2–8 in) of a thin flowering spike 250–900 mm (10–40 in) high. The flowers are greenish-brown with white reddish stripes and are often sweetly fragrant. [2] As with others in the genus, the flowers are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The ovary is 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and pressed against the flowering stem. The lateral sepals are about 6 mm (0.2 in) long, joined for most of their length and form the uppermost part of the flower. The dorsal and lateral sepals and the petals are similar in size and shape, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, but the lateral sepals are joined at their sides. The labellum is white, about 8 mm (0.3 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide, curves upwards and has a wavy margin. Flowering occurs from September to January and is more prolific after fire the previous summer. [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Prasophyllum australe was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen . [1] [5] The specific epithet (australe) is a Latin word meaning "south". [6]

Distribution and habitat

The southern leek orchid grows in swampy places in forest and heath in south-eastern Queensland, near-coastal New South Wales, southern Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and in Tasmania. [3] [4] [7]

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<i>Pterostylis reflexa</i> Species of orchid

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<i>Prasophyllum flavum</i> Species of orchid

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<i>Prasophyllum fuscum</i> Species of orchid

Prasophyllum fuscum, commonly known as the slaty leek orchid or tawny leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a small region of New South Wales. It has a single tubular green leaf and up to thirty greenish brown to reddish brown flowers. There is debate about the taxonomy of the species with some authorities considering Prasophyllum uroglossum as a separate species. Only about twenty five plants are known to survive in south-western Sydney.

Prasophyllum gibbosum, commonly known as the humped leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a late-flowering leek orchid with a single smooth, tubular leaf and up to eighty or more purplish-red and white flowers with a smooth labellum. It is similar to P. cucullatum but that species has a frilly labellum, usually a shorter flowering stem and an earlier flowering period.

Prasophyllum macrostachyum, commonly known as the laughing leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a single smooth, tube-shaped leaf and up to thirty yellowish-green and purple flowers. It is one of the few Western Australian leek orchids which is not stimulated by summer fires and also has an unusually long flowering period.

<i>Prasophyllum patens</i> Species of orchid

Prasophyllum patens, commonly known as the broad-lipped leek orchid or sandstone leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the Sydney region of New South Wales. It has a single tubular green leaf and up to thirty green to greenish-brown, lemon-scented flowers with a white labellum.

<i>Prasophyllum striatum</i> Species of orchid

Prasophyllum striatum, commonly known as the streaked leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a single thin, tube-shaped leaf and up to ten greenish and whitish flowers with reddish or purplish stripes. It differs from other leek orchids in having a very thin leaf and prominently streaked flowers.

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Corunastylis nigricans, commonly known as the Kangaroo Island midge orchid is a small terrestrial orchid endemic to South Australia. It has a single thin leaf and up to twenty five purplish brown flowers with a shiny, hairless, dark purplish labellum. It is sometimes confused with Genoplesium nigricans which has differently coloured flowers and a much wider distribution. It is regarded as a synonym of G. nigricans by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.

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<i>Corybas fimbriatus</i> Species of orchid

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<i>Corybas unguiculatus</i> Species of orchid

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References

  1. 1 2 "Prasophyllum australe". APNI. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  2. Alec M. Pridgeon; Phillip J. Cribb; Mark W. Chase; Finn Rasmussen, eds. (2001). Genera Orchidacearum: Volume 2. OUP Oxford. p. 186. ISBN   9780198507109.
  3. 1 2 Jeanes, Jeff. "Prasophyllum australe". Royal Botanic Garden Melbourne - vicflora. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 Bernhardt, Peter; Rowe, Ross. "Prasophyllum australe". Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney - plantnet. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  5. Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. London. p. 318. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 731.
  7. Jones, David L. (1998). "A taxonomic review of Prasophyllum in Tasmania". Australian Orchid Research. 3 (6): 101–102.