Dark-tip greenhood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dark-tip greenhood |
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| Pterostylis atrans growing near Mount Toolebewong | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
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| Species: |
atrans
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| Synonyms | |
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Diplodium atrans (D.L.Jones) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
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The dark-tip greenhood (Pterostylis atrans) is a special type of orchid that grows only in south-eastern Australia. Like many greenhood orchids, it looks different depending on whether it's flowering or not. When it's not flowering, it has a group of leaves that lie flat on the ground, like a small mat. But when it's ready to bloom, a single flower grows on a tall stem, and the leaves move up onto this stem. This orchid's flower is green and reddish-brown. It has a unique shape with a part that sticks out and small club-like tips on its lower parts.
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What the Dark-Tip Greenhood Looks Like
The dark-tip greenhood is a plant that lives for many years (it's a perennial). It's also a deciduous plant, meaning it loses its leaves at certain times of the year. This plant has an underground tuber, which is like a small storage root.
Leaves of the Greenhood
When the plant is not flowering, it has a rosette of egg-shaped leaves. These leaves are usually 10–35 mm long and 10–30 mm wide. They lie flat on the ground.
The Unique Flower
When the dark-tip greenhood flowers, it grows a single bloom on a stem that can be 150–300 mm tall. This stem also has three to five spreading leaves. The flower itself is about 14–20 mm long and 10–12 mm wide. It is mostly green with a reddish-brown tip that curves downwards.
The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, joins with the petals to form a hood. This hood, known as a "galea," covers the central part of the flower called the column. The dorsal sepal has a thin, thread-like tip that is 6–9 mm long.
The lower lateral sepals are held close to the galea. They have upright, thread-like tips that are 15–20 mm long. These tips have small club-like ends. There's also a part that sticks out like a platform between the bases of these sepals, called a sinus.
The "labellum" is another part of the flower, about 9–11 mm long and 3 mm wide. It is green with a blunt brown tip that you can just see above the sinus. You can usually see these orchids flowering from November to April.
How the Greenhood Got Its Name
The dark-tip greenhood, Pterostylis atrans, was officially described for the first time in 1994. This description was made by a botanist named David Jones. He found a sample of the plant in the Brindabella Range. The description was then published in a scientific journal called Muelleria.
The second part of its scientific name, atrans, comes from the Latin word "atrans," which means "darkening." This name was chosen because of the dark reddish-brown color found near the tip of the flower's hood (the galea).
Where the Dark-Tip Greenhood Lives
The dark-tip greenhood mostly grows among grasses. It prefers forests that get a lot of rain. You can find this orchid in Victoria, Tasmania, and the southern parts of New South Wales.
