Narrow shell orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Narrow shell orchid |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
|
| Species: |
angusta
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Diplodium angustum (A.S.George) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
|
The narrow shell orchid (also known as Pterostylis angusta) is a special type of orchid. It grows only in the south-west part of Western Australia. This means it is endemic to that area.
Like other "greenhood" orchids, the narrow shell orchid looks different depending on if it's flowering or not. When it's not flowering, it has a group of leaves that lie flat on the ground. This group of leaves is called a rosette.
But when it's ready to flower, a single flower grows on a tall stem. This flower is usually green, white, and brown. It has a puffy base and a narrow top that looks like a hood. It also has a long "lip" part, called a labellum. In fact, its labellum is the longest of all Pterostylis orchids in Western Australia!
Contents
What the Narrow Shell Orchid Looks Like
The narrow shell orchid is a plant that lives on land. It is a perennial plant, which means it lives for more than two years. It is also deciduous, so some parts of it die back each year, but the plant itself lives on. It grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage organ.
When the plant is not flowering, it has a rosette of dark bluish-green leaves. These leaves lie flat on the ground. Each leaf is about 10 to 25 millimeters (0.4 to 1 inch) long and 7 to 12 millimeters (0.3 to 0.5 inches) wide.
When it flowers, the plant usually has just one flower. This flower is about 12 to 15 millimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long and 7 to 8 millimeters (0.3 inches) wide. It leans slightly forward on a flowering stem that can be 80 to 200 millimeters (3 to 8 inches) tall. This stem also has three to seven smaller leaves on it.
The flowers are mostly green and white, with brownish parts near the tip. The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, and the petals are joined together. They form a hood, or "galea," over the central part of the flower called the column. The bottom of this hood is puffy, and the top is narrow with a sharp point.
The side sepals are held close to the hood. They have narrow tips that are about 15 to 18 millimeters (0.6 to 0.7 inches) long. There is a V-shaped gap, called a sinus, between their bases. The "lip" of the flower, the labellum, is about 13 to 15 millimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long and about 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) wide. It is curved and sticks out above the V-shaped gap.
This orchid usually flowers from late May to July.
How it Was Named
The narrow shell orchid, Pterostylis angusta, was first officially described in 1971. This was done by a botanist named Alex George. He described it from a plant he found near Mount Trio in the Stirling Range. His description was published in a science journal called Nuytsia.
The second part of its scientific name, angusta, is a Latin word. It means "narrow." This name was chosen because the top part of the flower, the "galea" or hood, is very narrow.
Where it Grows
The narrow shell orchid grows in two separate areas in Western Australia. These areas are part of the Jarrah Forest biogeographic region. One area is between Brookton and the Stirling Range. The other area is between Australind and Capel.
This orchid usually grows in woodlands. It often prefers to grow in sandy soil.
Conservation Status
The Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at the narrow shell orchid. They have listed it as "not threatened." This means that, for now, there are enough of these orchids in the wild, and they are not in danger of disappearing.
