Prasophyllum odoratum

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Fragrant leek orchid
Prasophyllum odoratum flower.jpg
Prasophyllum odoratum growing near Guyra
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. odoratum
Binomial name
Prasophyllum odoratum
Synonyms [2]
  • Prasophyllum rotundiflorumR.S.Rogers
  • Prasophyllum colemaniaeR.S.Rogers

Prasophyllum odoratum, commonly known as the fragrant leek orchid, [3] Rogers scented leek orchid or sweet leek orchid [4] 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.

Contents

Prasophyllum odoratum habit Prasophyllum odoratum habit.jpg
Prasophyllum odoratum habit

Description

Prasophyllum odoratum is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single tube-shaped leaf up to 700 mm (30 in) long and 2–8 mm (0.08–0.3 in) wide with a purplish base. Between ten and fifty flowers are arranged along a flowering spike 60–200 mm (2–8 in) long. The flowers are green and white with reddish marks and are scented. As with others in the genus, the flowers are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped to lance-shaped, 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and turned downwards. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and free from each other. The petals are linear, to lance-shaped, 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long, white or with a reddish stripe with wavy margins. The labellum is white, egg-shaped, 6–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long, 4 mm (0.2 in) wide and turns sharply upwards with very wavy or ruffled edges. Flowering occurs from October to January. [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Prasophyllum odoratum was first formally described in 1909 by Richard Sanders Rogers and the description was published in Transactions, proceedings and report, Royal Society of South Australia. [5] The specific epithet (odoratum) is a Latin word meaning "having a smell" or "fragrant". [6]

Distribution and habitat

The fragrant leek orchid grows in a wide range of habitats in New South Wales as far inland as Griffith and is widespread in Victoria. [3] [4]

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 alpestre</i> Species of orchid

Prasophyllum alpestre, commonly known as the mauve leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It has a single tubular, green leaf and up to twenty five scented, white, purplish and green flowers. It grows in subalpine parts of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

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

Prasophyllum montanum, commonly known as the mountain leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It has a single tubular, green leaf and up to fifty scented, greenish to pinkish flowers. It grows in montane ecosystems at altitudes above 1,500 m (5,000 ft).

<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.

Prasophyllum bagoense, commonly known as the Bago leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a small area of southern New South Wales. It has a single tubular, green leaf and up to thirty scented, pale tawny green flowers on a flowering stem. It grows in subalpine grassland in a single population near Tumbarumba.

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

Prasophyllum wilkinsoniorum is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a single tubular, bright green leaf and up to forty five scented, dark greenish-brown to brownish-red flowers with a green to pinkish labellum. It grows in grassy places in a restricted area on the Southern Tablelands.

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.

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

Prasophyllum canaliculatum, commonly known as the channelled leek orchid or summer leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a small area of southern New South Wales. It has a single tubular, bright green leaf and up to twenty five scented, greenish-red or brownish flowers on a flowering stem. It grows in woodland at altitudes around 1,000 m (3,000 ft) where only about two hundred plants survive.

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 dossenum</i> Species of orchid

Prasophyllum dossenum is a species of orchid endemic to a small area of northern New South Wales. It has a single tubular, dark green leaf and up to thirty scented pinkish-white and greenish-brown flowers crowded along an erect flowering stem. It is a rare orchid which grows in grassy places on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.

Prasophyllum hygrophilum, commonly known as the swamp leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Victoria. It has a single tubular green leaf and up to thirty greenish brown, pink or mauve flowers. It is a rare orchid only known from two populations and is classified as "endangered" in Victoria.

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

Prasophyllum solstitium is a species of orchid endemic to the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. It has a single tubular, bright green leaf and up to thirty five greenish-pink to purplish-red flowers crowded on the flowering stem. It grows in grassland on heavy basalt soil.

<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 suaveolens, commonly known as the fragrant leek orchid, is a species of orchid species endemic to inland Victoria. It has a single bright green, tube-shaped leaf with a reddish base and up to twenty five green to yellowish-green flowers with red markings. The flowers are the smallest of any leek orchid found in Victoria.

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.

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

Prasophyllum basalticum is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a single tubular, dark green leaf and up to fifteen scented, greenish-brown to brownish-red flowers with a white and green labellum. It grows in grassy woodland on the Northern Tablelands.

Prasophyllum brevisepalum is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a single tubular, shiny dark green leaf and up to thirty five scented, yellowish to brownish green and white flowers. It is only known from a single population growing in woodland near Inverell.

References

  1. "Prasophyllum odoratum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  2. "Prasophyllum odoratum". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. 1 2 3 Jeanes, Jeff. "Prasophyllum odoratum". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria - vicflora. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Bernhardt, Peter; Rowe, Ross. "Prasophyllum odoratum". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney - plantnet. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  5. "Prasophyllum odoratum". APNI. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 720.