Pterostylis taurus

Little bull orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Tribe:	Cranichideae
Genus:	Pterostylis
Species:	P. taurus
Binomial name
	Pterostylis taurus; D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. [1]
Synonyms [2]
	Taurantha taurus(D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.; Diplodium taurus(D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.;

Last updated May 03, 2019

Pterostylis taurus, commonly known as the little bull orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Queensland. It has a rosette of leaves at the base and a single dark red to reddish brown and white flower that leans downwards.

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.

Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi).

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

Description

Pterostylis taurus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a rosette of green to bluish leaves, each leaf 10–25 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide. Flowering plants have a similar rosette and a single dark red to reddish brown and white flower borne on a flowering spike 50–150 mm (2–6 in) high. The flowers are 25–30 mm (0.98–1.2 in) long, 10–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) wide and lean downwards. The dorsal sepal and petals are joined and curve forward forming a hood called the "galea" over the column but the dorsal sepal is longer than the petals and has a pointed tip 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. There is a narrow U-shaped sinus between the lateral sepals which have very thin, erect, thread-like tips 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long. The labellum protrudes above the sinus and is 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide, bright reddish brown and curved with a deep notch on the end. Flowering occurs between May and July.^[3]

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.

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 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

Pterostylis taurus was first described in 1989 by David Jones and Mark Clements and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.^[1] The specific epithet (taurus) is a Latin word meaning "bull".^[4]

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

Mark Alwin Clements (b. 1949) is an Australian botanist and orchidologist. He obtained his doctorate at the Australian National University defending his thesis entitled Reproductive Biology in relation to phylogeny of the Orchidaceae, especially the tribe Diurideae.

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.

Distribution and habitat

The little bull orchid grows in coastal scrub and forest between Paluma and the Mount Windsor National Park west of Daintree.^[3]

Paluma is a town in the City of Townsville and a locality in the City of Townsville and the Charters Towers Region in Queensland, Australia. It is a township of around 28 permanent residents in the Mount Spec Ranges and is the southernmost point of Townsville's heritage-listed Wet Tropics.

Daintree, Queensland Town in Queensland, Australia

Daintree is a settlement in North Queensland 111 kilometres (69 mi) north of Cairns and 56 kilometres (35 mi) from Port Douglas, Queensland. The McDowell Ranges are near the town while the Daintree River flows nearby. It takes its name from Richard Daintree, a pioneering geologist of British origin in North Queensland in the 1860s. It is within the local government area of Shire of Douglas. At the 2006 census, Daintree and the surrounding area had a population of 78.

Related Research Articles

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.

Pterostylis baptistii, commonly known as the king greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. Flowering plants have a rosette of stalked, dark green leaves and a single white flower with green and brown markings, and a wide gap between the petals and lateral sepals. It occurs mostly in New South Wales but is also found in coastal Queensland and north-eastern Victoria.

Pterostylis acuminata, commonly known as the sharp greenhood or pointed greenhood is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It has a rosette of leaves and a single green and white flower, leaning forward with a brown point on the end of the labellum.

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.

Pterostylis concinna, commonly known as the trim greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia and which usually grows in colonies. It has a rosette of leaves at the base and a single dark green, white and orange-red flower.

Pterostylis dolichochila, commonly known as the long-tongued shell orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to southern 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 have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. This greenhood has a green and white flower with reddish-brown stripes and a sharply pointed dorsal sepal.

Pterostylis longipetala, commonly known as the curved 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. This greenhood has dark green, brown and white flowers which lean slightly forwards and have sharply-pointed petals and a long, curved labellum.

Pterostylis allantoidea, commonly known as the shy greenhood is a species of orchid which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has a large rosette of leaves at the base of a flowering spike and a single white flower with green or reddish-brown stripes.

Pterostylis anatona, commonly known as the Eungella greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to Queensland. It has a rosette of wrinkled leaves at the base of the plant and a single light green and white flower, reddish towards its tip. It grows in higher areas between Eungella and the Blackdown Tableland National Park.

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.

Pterostylis collina, commonly known as the shiny bull orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a rosette of leaves and when flowering, a single reddish-brown, green and white flower with a curved top.

Pterostylis crassichila, commonly known as the plump northern greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to Queensland. It has a rosette of leaves at the base of the plant and a single white flower with green lines, reddish towards its tip. It grows in higher areas of north Queensland.

Pterostylis erythroconcha, commonly known as the red shell orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to South 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 have a single flower with leaves on the flowering spike. This greenhood has a white and green flower with reddish brown markings and a long, fleshy, curved labellum.

Pterostylis humilis is a species of orchid endemic to New Zealand. It has a rosette of leaves at the base of the plant and when flowering stem, leaves which usually obscure the dark green and white flower.

Pterostylis irwinii is a species of greenhood orchid endemic to New Zealand. Flowering plants have erect, linear leaves on the flowering stem while non-flowering plants have a rosette of egg-shaped leaves. There is a single green flower with translucent white stripes and reddish-brown tips.

Pterostylis longicurva, commonly known as the long-tongued greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to eastern Australia. As with similar greenhoods, plants in flower differ from those that are not. Those not in flower have a rosette of leaves lying flat on the ground, but plants in flower have a single flower with leaves on the flowering stem. This species has a white and green flower with brown markings and a long, curved, brown labellum.

Pterostylis procera, commonly known as the short-lipped greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to Queensland. It has a rosette of leaves and when flowering a single translucent white flower with green and reddish markings and a labellum which does not protrude through the lateral sepals.

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 riparia, commonly known as the streamside greenhood, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. Both flowering and non-flowering plants have a rosette of dark green, fleshy leaves. Flowering plants have a single relatively large green, white and reddish-brown flower with a deeply notched sinus between hairy lateral sepals.

Pterostylis stricta, commonly known as the northern greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to Queensland. It has a rosette of leaves and when flowering a single translucent white flower with green lines, a reddish-brown tip and a curved, protruding labellum.

References

1 2 "Pterostylis taurus". APNI. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
↑ "Pterostylis taurus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
1 2 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 312. ISBN 978-1877069123.
↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 783.

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[APNI-1] 1 2 "Pterostylis taurus". APNI. Retrieved 20 July 2017.

[WCSP-2] "Pterostylis taurus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

[Jones-3] 1 2 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 312. ISBN 978-1877069123.

[RWB-4] Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 783.