Long-tongued greenhood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long-tongued greenhood |
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Pterostylis longicurva in the Warrumbungles National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
|
| Species: |
longicurva
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Diplodium longicurvum (Rupp) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
|
The long-tongued greenhood (scientific name: Pterostylis longicurva) is a special type of orchid. It grows only in eastern Australia, which means it is endemic there.
These plants look different depending on whether they are flowering or not. If a plant is not flowering, it has a flat circle of leaves on the ground. But when it flowers, it grows a single flower on a tall stem, with leaves along the stem.
The long-tongued greenhood has a pretty white and green flower with brown spots. It also has a long, curved, brown part called a labellum.
What Does It Look Like?
The long-tongued greenhood is a plant that grows from the ground. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It is also deciduous, so its leaves fall off at certain times. This plant is a herb, which means it has soft stems, not woody ones like trees.
It grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage root. When the plant is not flowering, it has a rosette of leaves. This means its three to seven dark green, egg-shaped leaves lie flat on the ground in a circle. Each leaf is about 10 to 25 millimeters (0.4 to 1 inch) long and 5 to 15 millimeters (0.2 to 0.6 inches) wide.
When the plant flowers, it grows a single flower. This flower is about 16 to 22 millimeters (0.6 to 0.9 inches) long and 6 to 7 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) wide. It leans slightly forward on a flowering stem that is 60 to 180 millimeters (2.4 to 7.1 inches) tall. This stem also has three to five leaves on it.
The flowers are mostly white with strong green stripes and brown marks. The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, and the petals are joined together. They form a hood, or "galea," over the column (the central part of the flower). The dorsal sepal has a short point.
The side sepals are close to the galea. They stand up straight or bend backward. They have thin, thread-like tips that are 12 to 16 millimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long. There is a curved V-shaped gap, called a sinus, between their bases.
The labellum is the special lip-like part of the flower. It is about 15 to 18 millimeters (0.6 to 0.7 inches) long and about 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) wide. It is brown, curved, and sticks out clearly above the sinus. You can see these flowers blooming from April to June.
How It Got Its Name
The long-tongued greenhood was first officially described in 1941. A botanist named Herman Rupp found a sample near Upper Horton. He wrote about it in a science journal called Contributions from the New South Wales National Herbarium.
The scientific name, longicurva, comes from two Latin words. Longus means "long," and curvus means "bent." This name perfectly describes the plant's long, bent labellum.
Where It Lives
The long-tongued greenhood grows in shady areas of forests. You can find it from Coonabarabran in New South Wales all the way to south-east Queensland in Australia.
