Coarse leafy greenhood facts for kids

The Pterostylis crassa, often called the coarse leafy greenhood, is a type of orchid plant. It belongs to the orchid family and is found only in Victoria, Australia. Like other greenhood orchids, this plant looks different when it's flowering compared to when it's not. If it's not flowering, it has a group of leaves that form a circle, called a rosette. But when it flowers, it grows a stem with up to four shiny, dark green flowers that look a bit see-through.

What is the Coarse Leafy Greenhood Orchid?

The Pterostylis crassa is a plant that grows from an underground tuber. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also a deciduous herb, which means its leaves fall off at certain times of the year.

How to Spot This Orchid?

When the plant is not flowering, it has a rosette of three to six leaves. Each leaf is about 10 to 30 millimeters (0.4 to 1.2 inches) long and 4 to 10 millimeters (0.16 to 0.39 inches) wide. This rosette sits on a short stalk about 35 to 55 millimeters (1.4 to 2.2 inches) high.

When the plant flowers, it doesn't have a rosette. Instead, it grows a flowering stem that can be 150 to 400 millimeters (5.9 to 15.7 inches) tall. This stem has three to six long, narrow leaves, each 20 to 70 millimeters (0.8 to 2.8 inches) long.

The flowers themselves are quite special. They are 15 to 19 millimeters (0.6 to 0.7 inches) long and 7 to 11 millimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) wide. The top part of the flower, called the "galea," looks like a hood. It's made from the dorsal sepal and petals joined together. This hood is transparent green with darker green lines and a pointed tip. The side sepals point downwards and are joined for about half their length. The "labellum" (which is like the orchid's lip) is light brown with a dark stripe. This orchid usually flowers from September to October.

Who Named the Coarse Leafy Greenhood?

The coarse leafy greenhood was first officially described in 2006. A botanist named David Jones gave it the name Bunochilus crassus. He published his description in a scientific journal called Australian Orchid Research.

Then, in 2007, another botanist named Gary Backhouse changed its name to Pterostylis crassa. The second part of its name, crassa, comes from a Latin word. It means "thick" or "stout." This name refers to the thick, fleshy flowers of this particular orchid species.

Where Does the Coarse Leafy Greenhood Grow?

The Pterostylis crassa orchid grows in dry woodlands and forests. You can find it in the very far north-east part of Victoria, Australia.