Leek orchid facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leek orchid
Prasophyllum colensoi near Lake Tekapo
Scientific classification

The leek orchid (Prasophyllum colensoi) is a special type of orchid that grows only in New Zealand. It's called the leek orchid because its single leaf looks a bit like a leek! This plant has a dark green, tube-shaped leaf and can grow up to twenty flowers. These flowers are usually yellowish-green to reddish-brown and have a nice scent. The leek orchid is quite similar to another New Zealand orchid, P. hectori, but it's smaller and has fewer flowers. It also prefers different places to grow.

What Does the Leek Orchid Look Like?

The 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 of the year.

It has one dark green, tube-shaped leaf. This leaf can be from 120 to 350 mm (about 5 to 14 inches) long and 2 to 5 mm (about 0.1 to 0.2 inches) wide. The top part of the leaf, which is free from the stem, is about 80 to 120 mm (about 3 to 5 inches) long.

The plant produces a flowering spike that is 30 to 120 mm (about 1 to 5 inches) long. On this spike, you can find between five and twenty flowers. These flowers are lightly scented and are about 10 to 11 mm (about 0.4 inches) long. They can be yellowish-green to reddish-brown.

Orchid flowers can be a bit tricky! The leek orchid's flowers are actually upside down. This means the labellum (a special lip-like petal) is above the column (the part of the flower that holds the pollen) instead of below it.

Each flower has different parts:

• The dorsal sepal (the top part) is egg-shaped, about 6 to 7 mm long.
• The lateral sepals (the side parts) are similar in size and grow almost parallel to each other.
• The petals are about 6 to 7 mm long and turn downwards.
• The labellum is egg-shaped and about 6 to 7 mm long. Its outer end turns upwards, sometimes poking out between the lateral sepals. There's also a thick, fleshy part called a callus in the middle of the labellum.

Leek orchids usually flower from October to March in New Zealand.

Who Named the Leek Orchid?

The leek orchid, Prasophyllum colensoi, was first officially described in 1853. This description was made by a famous botanist named Joseph Dalton Hooker. He published his findings in a book called The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror in the Years 1839-1843.

The second part of the plant's scientific name, colensoi, was chosen to honor William Colenso. He was another important botanist and missionary in New Zealand.

Where Does the Leek Orchid Live?

This special leek orchid is found all over New Zealand. You can find it on both the North Island and the South Island. It likes to grow in open areas like grasslands. It also grows among other small herbaceous plants and around the edges of wet, marshy areas called bogs.

See also

In Spanish: Prasophyllum para niños