Pterostylis multiflora

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Tall tiny greenhood
Pterostylis multiflora.jpg
Pterostylis multiflora growing in the Namadgi National Park
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Genus: Pterostylis
Species:P. multiflora
Binomial name
Pterostylis multiflora
(D.L.Jones) Backh. [1]
Synonyms [2]

Speculantha multiflora D.L.Jones

Pterostylis multiflora, commonly known as the tall tiny greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. As with similar orchids, plants in flower differ from those that are not. Those not in flower have a rosette of leaves lying flat on the ground. Plants in flower lack a rosette but have up to twenty tiny green, white, and brown flowers in summer. The flowering stem has up to six stem leaves.

Endemism Ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location or habitat

Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution. An alternative term for a species that is endemic is precinctive, which applies to species that are restricted to a defined geographical area.

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Rosette (botany)

In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves or of structures resembling leaves.

Contents

Description

Pterostylis multiflora is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and when not flowering, a rosette of three to eight egg-shaped to heart-shaped leaves that lie flat on the ground. Each leaf is 8–23 mm (0.3–0.9 in) long and 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide. Plants in flower have between three and twenty flowers 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, crowded on a spike 200–450 mm (8–20 in) high. Between three and six stem leaves are wrapped around the flowering spike. The flowers are green and white near their bases and brownish nearer the tip. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column. The galea is erect near its base but then curves forward. The lateral sepals are erect, held closely against the galea with narrow tips about 3 mm (0.1 in) long that do not project above the galea. There is a small notch in the sinus between the bases of the lateral sepals. The labellum is about 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide and is not visible from outside the flower. Flowering occurs from January to March. [3]

Perennial plant Plant that lives for more than two years

A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. Some sources cite perennial plants being plants that live more than three years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widely used to distinguish plants with little or no woody growth from trees and shrubs, which are also technically perennials.

Deciduous trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally

In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous (/dɪˈsɪdʒuəs/) means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe fruit.

Herbaceous plant Plant which has no persistent woody stem above ground

Herbaceous plants in Botany, frequently shortened to herbs, are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stem above ground. Herb has other meanings in cooking, medicine, and other fields. Herbaceous plants are those plants that do not have woody stems, they include many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials, they include both forbs and graminoids.

Taxonomy and naming

This greenhood was first formally described in 2008 by David Jones who gave it the name Speculantha multiflora and published the description in Australian Orchid Research. [4] In 2010, Gary Backhouse changed the name to Pterostylis multiflora. [1] The specific epithet (multiflora) is a Latin word meaning "many-flowered". [5]

David Lloyd Jones is an Australian horticultural botanist and the author of a large number of books and papers, especially on Australian orchids.

Botanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; botanical nomenclature then provides names for the results of this process. The starting point for modern botanical nomenclature is Linnaeus' Species Plantarum of 1753. Botanical nomenclature is governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), which replaces the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN). Fossil plants are also covered by the code of nomenclature.

Latin Indo-European language of the Italic family

Latin is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. The Latin alphabet is derived from the Etruscan and Greek alphabets and ultimately from the Phoenician alphabet.

Distribution and habitat

The tall tiny greenhood grows in open forest with grasses or shrubs in north-eastern Victoria. [3]

Victoria (Australia) State in Australia

Victoria is a state in south-eastern Australia. Victoria is Australia's smallest mainland state and its second-most populous state overall, making it the most densely populated state overall. Most of its population lives concentrated in the area surrounding Port Phillip Bay, which includes the metropolitan area of its state capital and largest city, Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. Victoria is bordered by Bass Strait and Tasmania to the south, New South Wales to the north, the Tasman Sea to the east, and South Australia to the west.

Related Research Articles

<i>Pterostylis coccina</i> species of plant

Pterostylis coccina, commonly known as the scarlet greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. As with similar greenhoods, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but the flowering plants have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. In this species, the rosette leaves are relatively large and dark green, and the flowers are white, and bluish-green or red. It grows in New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria.

<i>Pterostylis grandiflora</i> species of plant

Pterostylis grandiflora, commonly known as the cobra greenhood or superb greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. As with similar orchids, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves but the flowering plants lack a rosette and have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. This greenhood has a green and white, striped flower with deep red-brown markings especially on its "galea", and a sharply pointed dorsal sepal.

<i>Pterostylis fischii</i> species of plant

Pterostylis fischii, commonly known as Fisch's greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. As with similar greenhoods, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but the flowering plants have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. This greenhood has tawny-coloured flowers, a dorsal sepal with a long thread-like tip and a labellum which is hidden inside the flower.

<i>Pterostylis atrans</i> species of plant

Pterostylis atrans, commonly known as the dark-tip greenhood or blunt-tongue greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. As with similar greenhoods, plants in flower differ from those that are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground, but the plants in flower have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. In this species, the flower is green and reddish brown with a protruding sinus and small club-like tips on the ends of the lateral sepals.

<i>Pterostylis revoluta</i> species of plant

Pterostylis revoluta, commonly known as the autumn greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. As with similar greenhoods, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but the flowering plants have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. This greenhood has white and green flowers which have a long, curved, pointed labellum which extends beyond the sinus between the lateral sepals.

<i>Pterostylis ventricosa</i> species of plant

Pterostylis ventricosa is a recently described and critically endangered species of orchid endemic to a small area of New South Wales. As with similar orchids, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves but the flowering plants lack a rosette at the base but have up to six tiny green, white and brown flowers.

<i>Pterostylis aneba</i> species of plant

Pterostylis aneba is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a recently described and poorly-known greenhood similar to Pterostylis alpina and P. monticola. It has a rosette of fleshy leaves at the base of the plant and a single green and white flower. It grows in alpine and sub-alpine habitats.

<i>Pterostylis rubescens</i> species of plant

Pterostylis rubescens, commonly known as the blushing tiny greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. As with similar orchids, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves but the flowering plants lack a rosette at the base and have up to eighteen tiny green, white and brownish flowers.

Pterostylis agathicola, commonly known as the kauri greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. As with similar greenhoods, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but the flowering plants have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. It grows almost exclusively in kauri forest and has a relatively large green and transparent white flower.

<i>Pterostylis amabilis</i> species of plant

Pterostylis amabilis is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. As with similar orchids, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves but the flowering plants lack a rosette at the base but have up to ten tiny white and red to reddish-brown flowers. It is similar to P. parviflora but has larger rosette leaves and larger, more brightly coloured flowers.

Pterostylis atriola, commonly known as the snug greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to Tasmania. As with similar orchids, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants only have a rosette of leaves but the flowering plants have one or two rosettes on growths from the base and up to ten small, dark green, white and brown flowers on a relatively tall flowering spike. It is a rare species, only known from four widely separated populations.

<i>Pterostylis</i> sp. aff. <i>alata</i> (New England)

Pterostylis sp. aff. alata is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales but which has not yet been formally described. Non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves but the flowering plants have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. This greenhood has a white flower with green markings and a brown-tipped dorsal sepal. It is only known from areas near Armidale where it grows near south-facing escarpments.

<i>Pterostylis daintreana</i> species of plant

Pterostylis daintreana, commonly known as Daintree's greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves on short stalks but flowering plants have up to ten flowers with rosettes on the side of the flowering spike. The flowers are translucent white with dark green lines and long, downcurved lateral sepals.

Pterostylis nigricans, commonly known as the dark greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. As with similar orchids, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves but the flowering plants lack a rosette at the base but have up to six tiny green, white and brown flowers which have a rough texture.

Pterostylis paludosa, commonly known as swamp greenhood, is a species of greenhood orchid endemic to New Zealand. As with similar orchids, plants in flower differ from those that are not. Those not in flower have a rosette of leaves on a short stalk but plants in flower lack a rosette and have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. This greenhood has a translucent white flower with pale to yellowish-green stripes.

Pterostylis puberula, commonly known as the dwarf greenhood or snail greenhood is a species of orchid which is endemic to New Zealand. It has a rosette of pale yellowish, stalked leaves and a single silvery-white and green flower with relatively long, erect lateral sepals.

<i>Pterostylis reflexa</i> species of plant

Pterostylis reflexa, commonly known as the dainty greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. As with similar greenhoods, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but the flowering plants have a single flower with leaves on the flowering stem. This greenhood has a relatively large white, green and light brown flower with a long, curved dorsal sepal and a protruding labellum.

Pterostylis russellii, commonly known as Russell's greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. Non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but flowering plants have a single shiny white and dark green flower on a flowering stem lacking a rosette but with a few spreading stem leaves.

Pterostylis uliginosa, commonly known as the marsh greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. As with similar orchids, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves but the flowering plants lack a rosette at the base but have up to three rosettes on lateral growths and up to seven small green and white flowers. This species only grows in wet places, usually where there is free water. There are usually only two or three flowers per plant, and only one or two are open at a time.

Pterostylis divaricata is a species of orchid endemic to northern New South Wales. It grows in colonies of genetically identical plants. As with similar orchids, plants in flower differ from those that are not. Those not in flower have a rosette of leaves that lie flat on the ground. Plants in flower lack a rosette at the base but have up to ten translucent white flowers with green and brown stripes. This greenhood is similar to P. striata but has larger flowers and a longer tip on the dorsal sepal.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pterostylis multiflora". APNI. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  2. ↑ "Pterostylis multiflora". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. 1 2 Jeanes, Jeff. "Pterostylis multiflora". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  4. ↑ "Bunochilus multiflora". APNI. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  5. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 48.
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