Prasophyllum holzingeri facts for kids

Prasophyllum holzingeri is a special type of orchid that only grows in New South Wales, Australia. This plant has a single, shiny dark green leaf shaped like a tube. It also grows up to fifteen flowers that don't have a smell. These flowers are usually greenish, brownish pink, and white. You can only find this orchid in a few places around the Barrington Tops area.

What Prasophyllum holzingeri Looks Like

Prasophyllum holzingeri is a plant that grows from the ground. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It is also deciduous, which means its leaves fall off at certain times of the year. This plant is a herb with a tuber (a swollen underground stem) that stores food.

It has one shiny, dark green leaf shaped like a tube. This leaf is about 300 to 450 millimeters (12 to 18 inches) long. It is also about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) wide. The bottom part of the leaf is purplish.

The plant grows a flowering stem up to 300 millimeters (12 inches) tall. On this stem, there are usually eight to fifteen flowers packed closely together. The flowers are about 80 to 150 millimeters (3 to 6 inches) long. They do not have any scent. Their colors range from greenish to brownish pink.

Like other orchids in its group, the flowers of Prasophyllum holzingeri are upside down. This means the labellum (a special petal) is above the column (the part that holds the reproductive organs). Normally, the labellum is below.

The top sepal (a leaf-like part that protects the flower bud) is shaped like an egg or a spear. It is about 8 to 10 millimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) long and 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) wide. It has three to five darker lines and a pointed tip. The two side sepals are long and narrow. They are also 8 to 10 millimeters long and about 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) wide. When the flower first opens, these side sepals are joined together.

The petals are white with a red line in the middle. They are long and narrow, about 8 to 10 millimeters long and 2 millimeters wide. The labellum is white and shaped like an oval. It is about 8.5 to 9.5 millimeters (0.33 to 0.37 inches) long and 4 millimeters wide. This labellum sharply bends upwards by more than 90 degrees. The edges of the bent part are wavy. In the center of the labellum, there is a yellow or greenish-yellow callus (a raised, fleshy part). This callus has a dark green base and extends far past the bend.

Prasophyllum holzingeri flowers bloom between late January and early March.

How it Got its Name

The scientific name Prasophyllum holzingeri was first officially described in 2018. This was done by two botanists, David Jones and Lachlan Copeland. They described it from a plant found in the Barrington Tops State Conservation Area. Their description was published in a magazine called Australian Orchid Review.

The second part of the name, holzingeri, was chosen to honor a person named "William (Bill) Holzinger."

Where it Lives

This special leek orchid grows in woodland areas. It likes places with thick clumps of snow grass (a type of tussock grass). You can find it at high places, about 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) above sea level, in the Barrington Tops area.