Logan's leafy greenhood facts for kids

Pterostylis loganii, also known as the Logan's leafy greenhood, is a type of orchid plant. It is found only in a small area near the border between New South Wales and Victoria in Australia. This means it is endemic to that specific region.

When the plant flowers, it can have up to five pale green flowers. These flowers often have darker green stripes and brownish tips. Each flower has a brown part called a labellum, which looks like a lip. This labellum has a blackish stripe and a small blackish bump near its base.

Plants that are not flowering have a rosette of leaves. A rosette is a circle of leaves that grow close to the ground on a short, thin stalk. However, when the plant is flowering, it does not have this rosette. Instead, it has five to seven leaves growing directly on its stem.

What Logan's Leafy Greenhood Looks Like

Logan's leafy greenhood is a plant that grows from an underground tuber. A tuber is like a small, round storage organ, similar to a potato. This plant is a perennial herb, which means it lives for more than two years and has soft stems, not woody ones. It is also deciduous, meaning its leaves fall off at certain times of the year.

Leaves and Stems

Plants that are not flowering have a rosette of leaves. There are usually three to five leaves in this rosette. These leaves are egg-shaped and measure about 10 to 30 millimetres (0.4 to 1.2 inches) long. They are also about 2 to 5 millimetres (0.08 to 0.2 inches) wide and grow on a thin stalk.

When the plant flowers, it grows a tall spike. This spike can be 150 to 500 millimetres (6 to 20 inches) high. It can have up to nine pale green flowers with darker green stripes. The flowering stem also has five to seven leaves. These stem leaves are long and narrow, measuring about 10 to 60 millimetres (0.4 to 2.4 inches) long and 3 to 7 millimetres (0.1 to 0.3 inches) wide.

Flowers

The flowers of Logan's leafy greenhood are about 10 to 15 millimetres (0.4 to 0.6 inches) long. The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, and the petals are joined together. They form a hood-like shape over the central part of the flower, which is called the column. This hood is also known as a "galea." The dorsal sepal has a short, brownish tip.

The lateral sepals are the two lower parts of the flower. They point downwards and are about 9 to 12 millimetres (0.4 to 0.5 inches) long and 5 to 7 millimetres (0.2 to 0.3 inches) wide. They are joined together for part of their length and have narrow brownish tips that are about 3 to 4 millimetres (0.12 to 0.16 inches) long.

The labellum is a special part of the orchid flower that looks like a lip. It is about 5 to 6 millimetres (0.20 to 0.24 inches) long and about 2 millimetres (0.08 inches) wide. It is pale green with a dark brown line down its middle. There is also a dark brown bump near its base. This orchid usually flowers between August and October.

How it was Discovered and Named

This leafy greenhood was first officially described in 2006. A botanist named David Jones gave it the name Bunochilus loganii. He published his description in a scientific book called Australian Orchid Research. The plant he studied was collected near Carabost.

Later, in 2008, another botanist named Gary Backhouse changed its name to Pterostylis loganii. The second part of the name, loganii, is called the specific epithet. It was chosen to honor Alan Edward Logan. He was a farmer and a naturalist who first found this plant species. He also collected the original plant specimen, known as the type specimen, that was used for its scientific description.

Where Logan's Leafy Greenhood Grows

Pterostylis loganii grows in forests. It likes areas with grasses and shrubs. You can find it in the far north-east part of Victoria and in the southern tablelands and slopes of New South Wales.