Autumn greenhood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Autumn greenhood |
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| Pterostylis revoluta growing in the Aranda bushland reserve | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
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| Species: |
revoluta
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| Synonyms | |
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Diplodium revolutum (R.Br.) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. |
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The autumn greenhood (scientific name: Pterostylis revoluta) is a special type of orchid. It grows only in south-eastern Australia, which means it is endemic there.
Like other greenhood orchids, these plants look different depending on if they are flowering or not. Plants that are not flowering have a group of leaves that lie flat on the ground, like a circle. But plants that are flowering have a single flower with leaves growing up its stem. This greenhood has white and green flowers. They have a long, curved, pointed part called a labellum. This part sticks out past the gap between the lower petals.
What it Looks Like
The autumn greenhood is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that lives for more than two years and has soft stems, not woody ones. It grows from an underground tuber, which is like a small storage root.
When the plant is not flowering, it has a group of three to seven grey-blue, egg-shaped leaves. These leaves form a rosette, which is a circular pattern close to the ground. Each leaf is about 1 to 3 centimeters (0.4 to 1.2 inches) long.
Flowering plants have one flower that is about 2 to 2.5 centimeters (0.8 to 1 inch) long. The flower leans slightly forward. It grows on a stem that is 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches) tall. This stem has three to five leaves wrapped around it.
The flowers are pale green and white, sometimes with a touch of brown. The top part of the flower, called the "galea," looks like a hood. It's made from the top sepal and the petals joined together. This hood curves forward and down, ending in a thin tip about 4 to 8 millimeters long.
The two lower sepals are held close to the hood. They have a narrow V-shaped gap between them. These sepals also have long, curved, thread-like tips that are about 2 to 2.5 centimeters long. The labellum, which is the orchid's special lip, is about 1.4 to 1.7 centimeters long. It's curved and pointed, sticking out about halfway past the V-shaped gap.
These orchids usually flower from February to June.
Name and History
The autumn greenhood was first officially described in 1810. This was done by a botanist named Robert Brown. He wrote about it in his book, Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.
The scientific name revoluta comes from a Latin word. It means "turned over" or "rolled back."
Where it Lives
The autumn greenhood grows in forests and coastal areas. It likes sheltered slopes. You can find it in coastal and nearby areas from south-east Queensland to Nowra in New South Wales. It also grows a bit further inland, near Cessnock.
