Lort River snail orchid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lort River snail orchid |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
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| Species: |
lortensis
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| Synonyms | |
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Diplodium lortensis (D.L.Jones & C.J.French) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
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The Lort River snail orchid (its scientific name is Pterostylis lortensis) is a unique type of orchid. It is found only in the south-west part of Western Australia.
When this plant is not flowering, it has a group of leaves that lie flat on the ground, like a small circle called a rosette. But when it's ready to flower, it usually doesn't have these flat leaves. Instead, it grows a stem with a single pale green and white flower. This flower has narrow, club-shaped parts called sepals.
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What the Lort River Snail Orchid Looks Like
The Lort River snail orchid is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's a herb that grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage root. It's also deciduous, so some parts might die back in certain seasons.
Plants that are not flowering have a rosette of leaves. This rosette is about 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) across.
Flowering plants don't have the rosette of leaves. Instead, they have a single pale green and white flower. This flower is about 11–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide. It grows on a flowering stem that is 40–140 mm (2–6 in) tall.
The flowering stem usually has three to five leaves. These leaves are about 10–25 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 5–14 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide.
The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, and the petals are joined together. They form a hood, which is also known as a "galea," over the central part of the flower called the column. The dorsal sepal has a rounded tip.
The side sepals stay close to this hood. They almost close off the front of the flower. Their tips stand upright and are about 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. These tips are slightly thicker, looking a bit like small clubs.
The labellum (which is like the orchid's "lip") is quite small. You usually can't see it from outside the flower. The Lort River snail orchid flowers during the months of August and September.
How it Got its Name
The Lort River snail orchid was officially described in 2014. Two scientists, David Jones and Christopher French, gave it its formal name. They found a sample of the plant near the Lort River.
The description of the plant was published in a magazine called Australian Orchid Review. Before it got its official name, people knew it as Pterostylis sp. 'south coast clubbed sepals'.
The second part of its scientific name, lortensis, comes from the Lort River. This is where the first plant sample, known as the type specimen, was collected.
Where it Lives and Grows
The Lort River snail orchid usually grows in areas that are wet during winter. You can often find it among sedges, which are grass-like plants.
It grows in the area between Boxwood Hill and Israelite Bay. This region is part of the Esperance Plains biogeographic area in Western Australia.
Protecting the Orchid
The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has listed Pterostylis lortensis as "not threatened." This means that, for now, there are enough of these orchids, and they are not considered to be in danger of disappearing.
