Pterostylis dolichochila
| Long-tongued shell orchid | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pterostylis dolichochila growing in the Monarto Conservation Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Cranichideae |
| Genus: | Pterostylis |
| Species: | P. dolichochila
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pterostylis dolichochila | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Diplodium dolichochila (D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. | |
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.
Description[edit]
Pterostylis dolichochila is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and when not flowering, a rosette of four to ten egg-shaped leaves. Each leaf is 4–12 mm long and 3–8 mm wide. Flowering plants have a single flower 20–25 mm long and 7–9 mm wide borne on a spike 50–150 mm high with three or four stem leaves wrapped around it. The flowers are green and white with reddish-brown stripes. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column. The dorsal sepal curves forward with sharp point or a thread-like tip 1–2 mm long. The lateral sepals are held closely against the galea, have an erect, thread-like tip 15–20 mm long and a broad, flat sinus between their bases. The labellum is 13–15 mm long, about 4 mm wide, brown, blunt, and curved and protrudes above the sinus. Flowering occurs from April to August.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming[edit]
Pterostylis dolichochila was first formally described in 1985 by David Jones and Mark Clements and the description was published in the fourth edition of Flora of South Australia.[1] The specific epithet (dolichochila) is derived from the Ancient Greek words dolichos meaning "long"[5]: 276 and cheilos meaning "lip".[5]: 486
Distribution and habitat[edit]
The long-tongued shell orchid grows on calcareous sand and limestone, sometimes forming large colonies, in mallee in the south-east of South Australia and the Little Desert and Big Desert areas of Victoria.[2][3][4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Pterostylis dolichochila". APNI. Retrieved 12 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. 291. ISBN 978-1877069123.
- ^ a b Jeanes, Jeff. "Pterostylis dolichochila". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria: vicflora. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ a b "Pterostylis dolichochila". State Herbarium of South Australia: eflora SA. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ a b Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.