Pterostylis macilenta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pterostylis macilenta |
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| Pterostylis macilenta growing in Grampians National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
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| Species: |
macilenta
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| Synonyms | |
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Bunochilus macilentus D.L.Jones |
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Pterostylis macilenta is a special kind of plant that belongs to the orchid family. It is found only in the Grampians National Park in Victoria, Australia. This means it is "endemic" to that area, so you won't find it growing naturally anywhere else in the world!
Like other "greenhood" orchids, this plant looks different depending on whether it is flowering or not. Plants that are not flowering have a group of leaves shaped like a rosette that lies flat on the ground. But when the plant is flowering, it grows up to six see-through, dark green flowers and does not have the rosette of leaves.
What Does This Orchid Look Like?
Pterostylis macilenta is a plant that grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage organ. It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so its leaves fall off at certain times.
When the plant is not flowering, it has a rosette of three to six leaves. These leaves are usually egg-shaped or spear-shaped. Each leaf is about 10 to 35 millimeters long and 3 to 7 millimeters wide.
Flowering plants do not have the rosette of leaves. Instead, they grow a tall stem, about 150 to 350 millimeters high. This stem can have up to six flowers. It also has five or six long, narrow leaves along the stem, which are 25 to 80 millimeters long and 3 to 10 millimeters wide.
The flowers themselves are 16 to 20 millimeters long. The top part of the flower, called the "galea," is made up of the sepal and petals joined together. This forms a hood over the central part of the flower. The galea is a see-through dark green with darker green stripes. The side sepals point downwards and are 10 to 15 millimeters long. They are joined together for more than half their length. The "labellum," which is a special lip-like petal, is 5 to 7 millimeters long and about 2 millimeters wide. It is yellowish to brown and has a dark stripe down its middle.
This orchid usually flowers from September to December.
How This Orchid Got Its Name
This greenhood orchid was first officially described in 2006 by a botanist named David Jones. He gave it the name Bunochilus macilentus. This description was published in a scientific book called Australian Orchid Research. The plant he studied was found on Mount William in the Grampians National Park.
Then, in 2007, another botanist named Gary Backhouse changed its name to Pterostylis macilenta. The second part of its name, macilenta, comes from a Latin word. This Latin word means "lean," "thin," or "poor." It refers to the narrow shape of the labellum, or lip, of the flower.
Where This Orchid Lives
Pterostylis macilenta is only found in the Grampians National Park. It likes to grow in moist forests, often among shrubs.
