Prasophyllum pilligaense facts for kids

Prasophyllum pilligaense is a special type of orchid that only grows in New South Wales, Australia. It has a single, shiny dark green leaf that looks like a tube. Its flowers are greenish-brown to brownish and white, and they smell sweet! This orchid is quite rare and is only found in a few places near Coonabarabran.

What Does It Look Like?

Prasophyllum pilligaense is a plant that grows from a special underground part called a tuber, which is like a small potato. It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years, and it's also deciduous, so it loses its leaves at certain times.

This orchid has one shiny, dark green leaf shaped like a tube. It can be about 300 to 400 mm (12 to 16 in) long and 3 to 6 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) wide, with a purplish bottom.

The Flowers

The orchid produces a tall stem, up to 450 mm (18 in) high, with about twenty to thirty sweet-smelling flowers. These flowers are greenish-brown to brownish.

Like other orchids in its group, the flowers are upside down! This means the labellum (a special lip-like petal) is above the column (the part that holds the pollen) instead of below it.

• The top petal, called the dorsal sepal, is shaped like an egg or a spear. It's about 11 to 14 mm (0.4 to 0.6 in) long and 3 to 4 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) wide. It has three to five darker lines and a pointy tip.
• The side petals, called lateral sepals, are long and narrow. They are about 11 to 15 mm (0.4 to 0.6 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. They stand up straight and are separate from each other.
• The other petals are white with a red area in the middle. They are narrow, about 9 to 12 mm (0.4 to 0.5 in) long and about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide.
• The labellum (the lip) is white and narrow. It's about 12 to 15 mm (0.5 to 0.6 in) long and 3 to 5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) wide. It bends upwards at about a 90-degree angle.
• In the middle of the labellum, there's a yellow to yellowish-green bump called a callus. It's shaped like an egg, has a dark green base, and extends a little past the bend.

This orchid usually blooms between late September and late October.

How It Got Its Name

The scientific name Prasophyllum pilligaense was first officially described in 2018. Two botanists, David Jones and Lachlan Copeland, gave it this name. They found a sample of the orchid near Coonabarabran.

The second part of its name, pilligaense, tells us where it lives. It refers to the Pilliga forest, which is the only place this orchid is found.

Where It Lives

This special leek orchid has only been found in five different groups of plants. All of these groups are located in the Coonabarabran area. It grows in woodlands where there are scattered shrubs.