Chocolate-lip leafy greenhood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chocolate-lip leafy greenhood |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
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| Species: |
chocolatina
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| Synonyms | |
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Bunochilus chocolatinus D.L.Jones |
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The chocolate-lip leafy greenhood (Pterostylis chocolatina) is a special type of orchid plant. It's found only in New South Wales, Australia. Like many greenhood orchids, this plant looks different when it's flowering compared to when it's not. When it's not flowering, it has a circle of leaves called a rosette. But when it flowers, it grows a tall stem with up to thirteen green flowers. Its most unique feature is its dark brown "lip" (called a labellum) with a black bump near the bottom, which looks a bit like chocolate!
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What Does the Chocolate-Lip Greenhood Look Like?
The chocolate-lip greenhood is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also a deciduous herb, which means its leaves die back each year. It grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage root.
Leaves and Stems
When the plant is not flowering, it has a rosette of three to six leaves. Each leaf is about 1 to 3 centimetres (0.4 to 1.2 inches) long. This rosette sits on a short stalk, about 6 to 11 centimetres (2.4 to 4.3 inches) tall.
When the plant is ready to flower, it doesn't have a rosette. Instead, it grows a tall flowering stem. This stem can be anywhere from 20 to 90 centimetres (8 to 35 inches) high. It has five to eight leaves along the stem, each 2 to 10 centimetres (0.8 to 3.9 inches) long.
Flowers of the Greenhood
The chocolate-lip greenhood has between three and thirteen flowers on its stem. The flowers are dark green with darker lines, and they are partly see-through. Each flower is about 1.7 to 2 centimetres (0.7 to 0.8 inches) long.
The top part of the flower, called the "galea," looks like a hood. It's made from the dorsal sepal and petals joined together. This hood covers the central part of the flower. The side sepals point downwards and are joined for about half their length.
The most special part is the labellum, or "lip." It's dark brown, about 0.5 to 0.8 centimetres (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. It has a blackish lump on its top end, which gives the orchid its "chocolate-lip" name. These orchids usually flower from July to September.
How the Chocolate-Lip Greenhood Got Its Name
The chocolate-lip greenhood was first officially described in 2006. A botanist named David Jones gave it the name Bunochilus chocolatinus. He wrote about it in a scientific book called Australian Orchid Research. The plant he studied was found near Wentworth Falls.
Later, in 2010, another botanist named Gary Backhouse changed its name to Pterostylis chocolatina. The second part of its scientific name, chocolatina, comes from a Latin word. It means "chocolate brown," which perfectly describes the colour of the orchid's special lip!
Where Does the Chocolate-Lip Greenhood Live?
The chocolate-lip greenhood grows in the western part of the Blue Mountains in Australia. It likes to grow among grasses and other small plants. You can find it in moist areas within tall forests.
