Adelaide Hills banded greenhood facts for kids

The Adelaide Hills banded greenhood (Pterostylis viriosa) is a special type of orchid. It belongs to the orchid family, called Orchidaceae. This plant is found only in South Australia, which means it is endemic there.

When this orchid flowers, it has several green blooms with light white stripes. Each flower has a unique part called a labellum. This labellum looks a bit like an insect and is green with a dark green bump at its top.

Plants that are not flowering have a group of leaves shaped like a circle, called a rosette, on a short stem. But when the plant is flowering, it doesn't have this rosette. Instead, it has several leaves growing along its main stem.

What Does It Look Like?

The Adelaide Hills banded greenhood is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It is also a deciduous herb, losing its leaves in some seasons. It grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage organ.

Plants that are not flowering have a rosette of leaves on a short stem. When the plant flowers, it grows a tall stem up to 800 mm (about 31 inches) high. This stem has several green flowers with faint white stripes.

The flowering stem does not have a rosette of leaves at its base. Instead, it has a few small leaves along the stem itself. The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, joins with the petals. Together, they form a hood-like shape over the flower's central part, called the column.

The petals have a wide, clear edge. The lower parts of the flower, called the lateral sepals, point downwards. They are joined together for most of their length. Then they split into triangular tips. The labellum looks like an insect and is covered in tiny hairs. It has a dark green bump at the top, like an insect's head, and a dark green line down its middle. These orchids usually flower from late July to early September.

How It Was Named

This greenhood orchid was first officially described in 2006. A scientist named David Jones gave it the name Bunochilus viriosus. He wrote about it in a scientific book called Australian Orchid Research. The description was based on a plant found in the Belair National Park.

Later, in 2008, another scientist named Robert Bates changed its name to Pterostylis viriosa. The second part of its name, viriosa, comes from a Latin word. It means "robust" or "strong." This name was chosen because the orchid is quite sturdy and has large flowers.

Where Does It Grow?

The Adelaide Hills banded greenhood is found in several areas of South Australia. These areas are part of different biogeographic regions. You can find it in the Fleurieu and Mount Lofty Ranges regions. It also grows in the Central Flinders and Talia regions.