Prasophyllum litorale

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Coastal leek orchid
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Diurideae
Subtribe: Prasophyllinae
Genus: Prasophyllum
Species:
P. litorale
Binomial name
Prasophyllum litorale

Prasophyllum litorale, commonly known as the coastal leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to southern continental Australia. It has a single tubular leaf and up to forty flowers with red and green colouring and grows in sandhills near the sea.

Contents

Description

Prasophyllum litorale is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single tube-shaped leaf up to 150 mm (6 in) long and 5–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide. Between fifteen and forty scented flowers are crowded along flowering stem which reaches to a height of 200–450 mm (8–20 in). The flowers variously are coloured red and green and as with others in the genus, are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The ovary is oval-shaped to round and about 5 mm (0.2 in) long. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped to lance-shaped, green with a central reddish stripe, 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide, dished and held more or less horizontally. The lateral sepals are lance-shaped, 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and free from each other. The petals are oblong, about 5 mm (0.2 in) long, 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide and pink or reddish-brown with pale edges. The labellum is pink to creamy-white, 5 mm (0.2 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide and turns upwards with the tip extending above the lateral sepals. There is a short, thick, channelled yellowish-green callus in the centre of the labellum. Flowering occurs in December and January but the flowers are relatively short-lived. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

Prasophyllum litorale was first formally described in 1990 by Robert John Bates and the description was published in Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens from a specimen collected near Portland. [1] The specific epithet (litorale) is a Latin word meaning "of the seashore", [4] referring to the apparently restricted habitat of this orchid. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The coastal leek orchid grows on coastal sandhills between Portland in Victoria and Port Macdonnell in the far south-east of South Australia. [2] [3]

Conservation

Prasophyllum litorale is listed as "vulnerable" in the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and as "endangered" in the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 .

Related Research Articles

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.

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

Prasophyllum brevilabre, commonly known as the short-lip leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single tubular, green leaf and up to thirty small, greenish-brown flowers with a white labellum. The labellum is sharply turned back on itself so that its tip almost reaches its base.

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

Prasophyllum sphacelatum, commonly known as the subalpine leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single tubular, dull green leaf and up to eighteen scented, green to brownish flowers with a green to pinkish labellum. It grows in subalpine areas of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

Prasophyllum campestre, commonly known as the sandplain leek orchid, or inland leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It has a single tubular, yellowish-green leaf and up to twenty greenish, strongly scented flowers with red, purplish, brown or white marks. It grows in the drier parts of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

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

Prasophyllum sylvestre, commonly known as the forest leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single tubular, bright green leaf and up to thirty faintly scented, pale green, pink and reddish-brown flowers. It is similar to P. fuscum and P. affine but differs from them, including in the habitat in which they grow.

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

Prasophyllum odoratum, commonly known as the fragrant leek orchid, Rogers scented leek orchid or sweet leek orchid is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a single tubular leaf and up to fifty fragrant green and white flowers with reddish marks.

Prasophyllum barnettii, commonly known as the Anglesea leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Victoria. It has a single tubular leaf and between twelve and thirty scented yellowish, reddish or brownish flowers and is only known from a small area in the south of the state.

Prasophyllum calcicola, commonly known as the limestone leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Australia. It has a single, smooth, tube-shaped leaf and up to twelve yellowish-green flowers on an erect flowering stem. It is found in coastal areas of Western Australia and South Australia growing on soils derived from limestone.

Prasophyllum candidum, commonly known as the Kiandra leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It has a single tubular, yellowish-green leaf and up to forty scented, bright white to greenish flowers. It grows in subalpine areas at altitudes above 1,000 m (3,000 ft) in New South Wales and Victoria although in the latter state it is considered to be a form of P. odoratum.

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

Prasophyllum caudiculum, commonly known as the Guyra leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a small area of northern New South Wales. It has a single tubular, bright green leaf and up to thirty five greenish to reddish-brown flowers crowded along an erect flowering stem. It grows in grassy places near Guyra.

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

Prasophyllum colensoi is a species of orchid endemic to New Zealand where it is commonly known as the leek orchid. It has a single tubular, dark green leaf and up to twenty scented, yellowish-green to reddish-brown flowers. It is similar to P. hectori, the only other species of Prasophyllum found in New Zealand, but is distinguished from it by its smaller size, fewer flowers and different habitat.

Prasophyllum fosteri, commonly known as the Shelford leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a small region of Victoria. It has a single tubular green leaf and up to twenty five green to reddish-brown flowers. It is a very rare orchid, only known from a single population on a roadside.

Prasophyllum occultans, commonly known as the hidden leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to southern Australia. It has a single, smooth, tube-shaped leaf with a reddish-purple base and up to ten greenish flowers. It is a rare species found only in a few locations in South Australia and in far western Victoria.

<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.

Prasophyllum retroflexum, commonly known as the congested leek orchid or Kiandra leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a small area near the border between New South Wales and Victoria, growing in subalpine herbfields. It has a single tubular leaf and up to forty densely-crowded, pale green flowers with pinkish markings.

Prasophyllum rogersii, commonly known as the Barrington Tops leek orchid is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a single tubular leaf and up to twenty five reddish-brown flowers and only occurs in a few locations at higher altitudes.

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

Prasophyllum suttonii, commonly known as the mauve leek orchid, Mount Buffalo leek orchid or Buffalo leek-orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the Australian Alps. Some authorities list the species as being a Victorian endemic now extinct whilst others list is as occurring in New South Wales and extant. Descriptions of the species also differ. It has a single tube-shaped leaf and up to thirty five white flowers with purple or mauve marks.

Prasophyllum uvidulum, commonly known as the summer leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Victoria. It has a single, tubular leaf and up to twenty five scented, pale green flowers with reddish markings and is only known from a swamp in the north-east of the state.

Prasophyllum fitzgeraldii, commonly known as FitzGerald's leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to South Australia. It has a single tube-shaped leaf and up to thirty five green or reddish-brown flowers with a pink to purple labellum. It was previously thought to also occur in Victoria.

Prasophyllum roseum, commonly known as the pink lip leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to southern continental Australia. It has a single tube-shaped leaf and up to thirty greenish flowers with a pink labellum. It is a recently described plant, previously included with P. fitzgeraldii, but distinguished from that species by its smaller, less crowded flowers, with more spreading lateral sepals and different labellum callus. It grows in the south-east of South Australia and in western Victoria.

References

  1. 1 2 "Prasophyllum litorale". APNI. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Bates, Robert J. (1990). "Prasophyllum litorale, a new leek species of Orchidaceae from south-west Victoria and adjacent South Australia" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. 13: 59–62. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  3. 1 2 Jeanes, Jeff. "Prasophyllum litorale". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  4. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 488.