Horned greenhood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Horned greenhood |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Pterostylis
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| Species: |
bicornis
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The Pterostylis bicornis, also known as the horned greenhood, is a special plant from the orchid family. It grows only in eastern Australia. This unique orchid gets its name from its flowers, which have long, thin tips that look like horns.
When the plant is not flowering, it has a circle of leaves close to the ground. When it does flower, it grows a stem with one or two dark green, white, and brown flowers. These flowers also have that special horn-like shape.
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What the Horned Greenhood Looks Like
The horned greenhood is a plant that grows on the ground. It lives for many years and has an underground storage part called a tuber. This plant is a herb, meaning it has soft stems, not woody ones.
Non-flowering plants have a group of three to seven bright green leaves. Each leaf is about 3 to 7 millimeters long and 4 to 5 millimeters wide.
When the plant flowers, it grows a stem that is about 60 to 100 millimeters tall. This stem has three or four leaves along it. The flowers themselves are about 8 to 10 millimeters long and 2 millimeters wide.
The top part of the flower (called the dorsal sepal) and the petals join together. They form a hood over the center of the flower. The petals have narrow, horn-like tips that are 4 to 5 millimeters long. The side parts (lateral sepals) stand up straight and are joined at their bottom. They have a small bulge where they meet. The orchid's special lip-like petal, called the labellum, is about 4 millimeters long. It sticks out above the bulge.
Horned greenhoods usually flower in June and July.
How it Got its Name
The horned greenhood was first officially described in 1987. This was done by two botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements. They found a sample of the plant on Mount Maroon.
The name bicornis comes from a Latin word. It means "two-horned," which perfectly describes the flower's unique shape.
Where it Lives
The horned greenhood grows in small pockets of shallow soil. You can find it in rock cracks, often with moss and lichen growing nearby.
This orchid is only found in a few places. It lives on Mount Maroon and in the Mount Barney National Park in southern Queensland. It also grows near Woodenbong in far northern New South Wales.
Protecting the Horned Greenhood
The horned greenhood is considered "vulnerable." This means it's at risk of disappearing if we don't protect it. The Australian Government lists it under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The main dangers to this orchid include:
- People taking them from the wild without permission.
- Fires that happen at the wrong time or too often.
- Weeds growing and taking over their habitat.
