Truncate leek orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Truncate leek orchid |
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| Illustration by Joseph Dalton Hooker | |
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Prasophyllum truncatum, also known as the truncate leek orchid, is a special type of orchid. It grows only in Tasmania, an island state of Australia. This orchid has a single dark green leaf shaped like a tube. It also grows up to twenty whitish flowers with purple and greenish-brown marks. This orchid blooms later in the season, and fires can actually help it flower more!
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Discovering the Truncate Leek Orchid
The truncate leek orchid is a plant that lives on land. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also a deciduous herb, which means it loses its leaves at certain times. This orchid grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage organ.
What Does This Orchid Look Like?
The plant has one dark green, tube-shaped leaf. This leaf can be about 150 to 350 mm (6 to 14 inches) long. It is about 3 to 5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 inches) wide near its base, which is often red or purple.
The orchid grows a flowering stem that is 70 to 110 mm (3 to 4 inches) long. This stem can reach a total height of 200 to 400 mm (8 to 16 inches). Along this stem, you'll find ten to twenty whitish flowers. These flowers have pretty purplish and greenish-brown markings.
Unique Flower Features
Each flower is about 7 to 9 mm (0.3 to 0.4 inches) wide. Like other leek orchids, its flowers are upside down! This means the labellum (a special lip-like petal) is above the column (the central part of the flower), instead of below it.
The top sepal (a leaf-like part protecting the flower) is shaped like a spear or a narrow egg. It is about 7 to 8.5 mm (0.3 inches) long and 4 mm (0.2 inches) wide. It has five purple stripes. The side sepals are long and narrow, about 7 to 8.5 mm (0.3 inches) long and 1.5 mm (0.06 inches) wide. They are separate from each other.
The petals are very narrow, about 7 to 8 mm (0.3 inches) long and 1 mm (0.04 inches) wide. They are white with a purple line down the middle. The labellum is white and shaped like an oval. It is about 8 mm (0.3 inches) long and 4 mm (0.2 inches) wide. It sharply bends backward in the middle. The edges of the bent part are crinkled. There's also a greenish-yellow, fleshy, raised part called a callus in its center.
When Does It Bloom?
This orchid flowers from November to March. It flowers much more after a bushfire.
Naming the Truncate Leek Orchid
The scientific name for this orchid, Prasophyllum truncatum, was first officially described in 1840. A scientist named John Lindley gave it this name. He studied a plant sample found near Stanley. The description was published in a book called The genera and species of Orchidaceous plants.
The second part of its name, truncatum, comes from a Latin word. It means "maimed" or "cut off."
Where Does This Orchid Live?
The truncate leek orchid can be found in many places across Tasmania. However, it is not very common. It grows among shrubs and other herbs in woodlands. You can find it in both the northern and southern parts of Tasmania.
