Pterostylis tenuissima

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Swamp greenhood
Pterostylis tenuissima.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Genus: Pterostylis
Species:
P. tenuissima
Binomial name
Pterostylis tenuissima
Synonyms [2]

Diplodium tenuissimum(Nicholls) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.

Contents

Pterostylis tenuissima, commonly known as the swamp greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to the southern mainland of 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 small translucent white flowers with dark green stripes and markings and both the dorsal sepal and lateral sepals have relatively long, thread-like tips.

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.

Sepal part of a calyx

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms. Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom. The term sepalum was coined by Noël Martin Joseph de Necker in 1790, and derived from the Greek σκεπη (skepi), a covering.

Description

Pterostylis tenuissima is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and when not flowering, a rosette of egg-shaped leaves lying close to the ground, each leaf 3–20 mm (0.1–0.8 in) long and 2–7 mm (0.08–0.3 in) wide. Flowering plants have a single flower 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide borne on a flowering stem 100–300 mm (4–10 in) mm high with between three and seven stem leaves. The flowers are translucent white with dark green stripes and markings. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column. The dorsal sepal curves forward and downward with a thread-like tip 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long. The lateral sepals are held closely against the galea with erect, thread-like tips 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) long. The sinus between the lateral sepals bulges forward and has a V-shaped notch in the centre. The labellum is 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide, dark brown, slightly curved and protrudes above the sinus. Flowering occurs from October to February. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

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

Pterostylis tenuissima was first formally described in 1950 by William Nicholls from a specimen collected near Nelson and the description was published in The Victorian Naturalist . [1] [8] The specific epithet (tenuissima) is the superlative form of the Latin word tenuis meaning "thin", [9] hence "thinnest".

William Henry Nicholls was an Australian amateur botanist, authority on, and collector of Australian orchids. An accomplished photographer and watercolourist, he contributed almost 100 articles on orchids to The Victorian Naturalist, many of which described new species with line drawings. He was working on producing a 24-volume illustrated monograph of all the orchids of Australia when he died. Only four volumes were published shortly after his death but the entire work was published in a single book, Orchids of Australia in 1969. Some of the many orchids described and named by Nicholls and retaining the name he gave them include Caladenia caudata, Caladenia echidnachila, Caladenia ensata, Caladenia ferruginea, Caladenia magniclavata, Caladenia ornata, Caladenia praecox, Caladenia radiata, Pterostylis fischii, Pterostylis hamiltonii, Pterostylis hildae and Pterostylis tenuissima. The orchid Prasophyllum nichollsianum was named in his honour by Herman Rupp.

Nelson, Victoria Town in Victoria, Australia

Nelson is a small fishing town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the mouth of the Glenelg River and on Discovery Bay, a few kilometres from the South Australian border, and 422 kilometres (262 mi) west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Nelson and the surrounding area had a population of 226.

<i>The Victorian Naturalist</i> The Victorian Naturalist is a bimonthly scientific journal covering natural history, especially of Australia. It is published by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and is received as part of the membership subscription of that club.

The Victorian Naturalist is a bimonthly scientific journal covering natural history, especially of Australia. It is published by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and is received as part of the membership subscription of that club. From 1881, club proceedings and papers had been published in the Southern Science Record and Magazine of Natural History before the first issue of The Victorian Naturalist appeared in January 1884. The journal publishes peer-reviewed research articles, research reports, "Naturalist Notes", and book reviews. The journal was published monthly until 1976, since then it has been published bimonthly. In that period several special issues have been published. These covered particular natural history topics or significant centenaries: of the club (1980), the death of Ferdinand von Mueller (1996), and the establishment of Wilsons Promontory National Park and Mount Buffalo National Park (1998). In 2001 there was a special issue on Frederick McCoy, the first president of the club. The journal was abstracted and indexed by Scopus in 1980 and 1984 and from 2008 to 2014.

Distribution and habitat

The swamp greenhood occurs in the far south-eastern corner of South Australia and south-western Victoria with a disjunct population on Wilsons Promontory. It grows in swampy mud under dense thickets of woolly tea-tree ( Leptospermum lanigerum ) and scented paperbark ( Melaleuca squarrosa ), sometimes forming large colonies. [3] [4] [5] [7]

South Australia State of Australia

South Australia is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, and fifth largest by population. It has a total of 1.7 million people, and its population is the second most highly centralised in Australia, after Western Australia, with more than 77 percent of South Australians living in the capital, Adelaide, or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second largest centre, has a population of 28,684.

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.

Disjunct distribution Ecology

In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but considerably separated from each other geographically. The causes are varied and might demonstrate either the expansion or contraction of a species range.

Conservation

Pterostylis tenuissima is listed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Victorian Government Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 . Threats to the species include land clearing, grazing by livestock, draining of wetland and weed invasion. [7] [10]

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Act of the Parliament of Australia, currently registered as C2016C00777

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places. Enacted on 17 July 2000, it established a range of processes to help protect and promote the recovery of threatened species and ecological communities, and preserve significant places from decline. The EPBC Act replaced the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975.

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988

The Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 is an act of the Victorian government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Australian state of Victoria for perpetuity. It was the first Australian legislation to deal with such issues.

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 alpina</i> species of plant

Pterostylis alpina, commonly known as the mountain greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has a rosette of fleshy leaves at the base and usually only one white flower with green markings and back-swept lateral sepals.

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

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.

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

Pterostylis alveata, commonly known as the coastal 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. In this species, the non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but the flowering plants have a single small, shiny green and white flower with leaves on the flowering spike.

<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 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 laxa</i> species of plant

Pterostylis laxa, commonly known as the antelope 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 green and white flowers with darker green or brown markings and a dorsal sepal with a long thread-like tip.

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

Pterostylis striata, commonly known as the mainland striped greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to south-eastern mainland 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 flower with prominent dark green stripes and a brown-tipped dorsal sepal with a thread-like tip. Mainland striped greenhoods were formerly described as Pterostylis alata but that species is now recognised as a Tasmanian endemic.

<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.

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 micromega, commonly known as the swamp greenhood, is a species of greenhood orchid endemic to New Zealand. Both flowering and non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves while flowering plants also have a single, relatively large whitish flower with a pointed dorsal sepal. The flower colour and pointed dorsal sepal are unique in New Zealand Pterostylis.

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 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.

<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.

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

Pterostylis torquata, commonly known as the collared 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 white flower with dark green and dark brown markings, although in some areas, the flowers lack the brown markings. The sinus between the lateral sepals is platform-like.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pterostylis tenuissima". APNI. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "Pterostylis tenuissima". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  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. 294. ISBN   978-1877069123.
  4. 1 2 Jeanes, Jeff. "Pterostylis tenuissima". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora.Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. 1 2 "Pterostylis tenuissima". State Herbarium of South Australia: eflora SA. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  6. ↑ Mayfield, Enid (2010). Flora of the Otway plain & ranges (2nd ed.). Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. p. 163. ISBN   9780643098046.
  7. 1 2 3 "Recovery Plan for Three Orchid Species in South Australia and Victoria" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Nicholls, William Henry (1950). "Additions to the Orchidaceae of Australia - III". The Victorian Naturalist. 67 (3): 46–48. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  9. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 787.
  10. ↑ "Swamp scrub threatened species" (PDF). Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment. 2017-05-22. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
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