FitzGerald's leek orchid facts for kids

FitzGerald's leek orchid (its scientific name is Prasophyllum fitzgeraldii) is a special type of orchid. It grows only in South Australia, which means it is endemic there. This orchid has a single leaf shaped like a tube. It also grows up to 35 flowers that can be green or reddish-brown. Each flower has a pink or purple part called a labellum. People once thought it grew in Victoria too, but that's not the case.

What Does FitzGerald's Leek Orchid Look Like?

FitzGerald's leek orchid is a plant that grows from an underground tuber (like a small potato). It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so its leaves fall off at certain times.

Each orchid has one long, tube-shaped leaf. This leaf can be from 100 to 450 millimeters (about 4 to 18 inches) long. It is also about 3 to 5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) wide.

The Flowers of This Orchid

This orchid grows a tall stem with many flowers. The stem can reach a height of 300 to 500 millimeters (about 12 to 20 inches). On this stem, you'll find between 15 and 35 flowers. These flowers are often green or reddish-brown and have a nice smell.

Each flower is about 10 to 14 millimeters (0.4 to 0.6 inches) long and 6 to 10 millimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide. Orchid flowers are unique because they are "inverted." This means their special lip-like part, called the labellum, points upwards instead of downwards.

Flower Parts Explained

• The dorsal sepal (the top part of the flower) is shaped like a wide spear. It is about 5 to 7 millimeters long.
• The lateral sepals (the side parts) are also spear-shaped and about the same length. They are separate from each other.
• The petals (the inner flower parts) are thin and about 5 to 6 millimeters long.
• The labellum is the most colorful part. It's usually pink to purple and shaped like an egg. It's about 5 millimeters long. About halfway along, it bends sharply upwards. This upturned part looks a bit crinkled. There's also a thick, purplish-green patch called a callus in the middle of the labellum.

You can see these beautiful flowers blooming in October and November.

How Was This Orchid Named?

The FitzGerald's leek orchid was first officially described in 1909. Two scientists, Richard Sanders Rogers and Joseph Maiden, gave it its scientific name, Prasophyllum fitzgeraldii. They wrote about it in a scientific journal called Transactions, proceedings and report, Royal Society of South Australia. The plant they studied came from Sandy Creek Conservation Park.

The name fitzgeraldii was chosen to honor a person named Robert D. FitzGerald. He was an orchidologist, which means he was a scientist who studied orchids.

Where Does FitzGerald's Leek Orchid Grow?

This special orchid likes to grow in different places in the south-east of South Australia. You can find it in grasslands, areas with low shrubs called heath, and forests.

For a long time, people thought this orchid also grew in Victoria. However, scientists later discovered that the orchids found in Victoria are actually a different species. They are now known as Prasophyllum roseum, which was identified as a new species in 2017.