Mount Kaputar rustyhood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Kaputar rustyhood |
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| Pterostylis praetermissa in the Mount Kaputar National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
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| Species: |
praetermissa
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| Synonyms | |
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Oligochaetochilus praetermissus (D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem.) Szlach. |
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The Pterostylis praetermissa, often called the Mount Kaputar rustyhood, is a fascinating plant that belongs to the orchid family. This special orchid is found only in New South Wales, Australia, which means it is endemic to that area. It has a group of leaves that grow in a circle, like a flower, at its base. When it blooms, it produces up to nine relatively small flowers that are greenish and reddish-brown. These flowers have cool transparent "windows" and a reddish-brown, insect-like labellum, which is a special lip on the orchid flower.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The Mount Kaputar rustyhood is a terrestrial plant, meaning it grows in the ground. It's a perennial herb, which means it lives for more than two years, and it's deciduous, so its leaves fall off during certain seasons. This plant grows from an underground part called a tuber, which stores food.
Leaves and Stems
Each plant has a group of between five and eight leaves that form a rosette (a circular arrangement) at its base. Each leaf is about 20–35 mm (0.8–1 in) long and 8–17 mm (0.3–0.7 in) wide. When the plant is ready to flower, it grows a stem that can be 150–250 mm (6–10 in) tall. This stem also has between two and five smaller leaves that are loosely wrapped around it.
Flowers
The flowers are a mix of greenish and reddish-brown, and they have clear, see-through parts. Each flower is about 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide.
The top part of the flower, called the "galea," forms a hood over the center. This hood is made up of the dorsal sepal (the top part of the flower's outer leaf) and the petals (the inner flower parts). The dorsal sepal has a narrow point that is about 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. The lateral sepals (the side parts of the flower's outer leaves) point downwards and are about the same width as the galea. They have thin, thread-like tips that are 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long.
The most interesting part is the labellum, which is like the flower's lip. It's almost flat, reddish-brown, and feels a bit fleshy. It looks like a small insect, about 5 mm (0.2 in) long and 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The "head" end of this insect-like labellum has many short hairs, and there are about twelve to fifteen longer hairs on each side of its "body."
Flowering Time
You can usually see the Mount Kaputar rustyhood in flower during September and October.
How It Was Named
The scientific name for this orchid, Pterostylis praetermissa, was first officially described in 1989. Two botanists, David Jones and Mark Clements, gave it this name. They found a specimen (a sample of the plant) near the Mount Kaputar National Park and wrote about it in a scientific paper called Australian Orchid Research.
The second part of its name, praetermissa, comes from two Latin words:
- praeter, which means "beyond," "past," or "more than."
- missus, which means "sent."
So, its name has a special meaning related to where it was found or how it was discovered.
Where It Lives
The Mount Kaputar rustyhood grows in specific areas, not everywhere. It can be found in separate groups of plants on forest slopes and rocky ridges. These areas are located between Mount Kaputar National Park and Barrington Tops in New South Wales.
