Pterostylis alveata
| Coastal greenhood | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pterostylis alveata growing in Ben Boyd National Park | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Cranichideae |
| Genus: | Pterostylis |
| Species: | P. alveata
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| Binomial name | |
| Pterostylis alveata | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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.
Description
Pterostylis alveata is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and when not flowering, a rosette of dark green leaves, each leaf 10–25 mm long and 5–15 mm wide. Flowering plants have a single flower 12–15 mm long and 7–10 mm wide borne on a spike 100–200 mm high with between three and five spreading stem leaves. The flowers are shiny green and white. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column. The dorsal sepal curves forward with a pointed tip. The lateral sepals are held closely against the galea, have a thread-like tip 12–15 mm long and a flat, protruding sinus between their bases. The labellum is 8–9 mm long, 3 mm wide, dark brown and blunt, just visible above the sinus. Flowering occurs from May to June.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming
Pterostylis alveata was first formally described in 1939 by John ("Ros") Garnet from a specimen collected on Snake Island. The description was published in The Victorian Naturalist.[1][5] The specific epithet (alveata) is a Latin word meaning "hollowed out".[6]
Distribution and habitat
The coastal greenhood grows among grasses in moist coastal woodland and scrub between Melbourne in Victoria and Nelson Bay in New South Wales.[2][3][4]
References
- ^ a b c "Pterostylis alveata". APNI. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ a b Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 288. ISBN 978-1877069123.
- ^ a b Jones, David L. "Pterostylis alveata". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ a b Jeanes, Jeff. "Pterostylis alveata". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ Garnet, J. Ros (1939). "A new species of the genus Pterostylis". The Victorian Naturalist. 56 (6): 91–94. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 72.