Northampton midget greenhood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northampton midget greenhood |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pterostylis
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| Species: |
sinuata
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| Synonyms | |
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Hymenochilus sinuatus D.L.Jones |
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The Northampton midget greenhood (Pterostylis sinuata), also called the western swan greenhood, is a special type of orchid. It is found only in the south-west part of Western Australia. This plant has leaves that lie flat on the ground, forming a circle called a rosette. When it flowers, it can have up to twenty yellowish-green flowers. You can only find this rare orchid in a small area between the towns of Northampton and Kalbarri.
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What the Northampton Midget Greenhood Looks Like
The Northampton midget greenhood is a plant that grows on land (which means it's terrestrial). It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It's also deciduous, so it loses its leaves at certain times of the year. This plant is a type of herb and has a special underground part called a tuber, which stores food.
Its leaves form a flat circle on the ground, like a rose, which is called a rosette. These leaves have wavy edges and are about 30 to 40 millimeters (about 1.2 to 1.6 inches) wide.
When the plant flowers, it grows a stem about 50 to 100 millimeters (about 2 to 4 inches) tall. On this stem, you can find between two and twenty or more yellowish-green flowers. Each flower is about 5 to 6 millimeters (about 0.2 inches) long and wide.
The top part of the flower, called the dorsal sepal, and the petals (the flower's "leaves") join together to form a hood. This hood is called the "galea" and it covers the central part of the flower. The dorsal sepal is gently curved, but it suddenly bends downwards near its tip. It's about the same length as the petals. The lateral sepals (the side parts of the flower) point downwards and are joined for most of their length, making a cup shape. The labellum, which is a special lip-like petal, is small, green, and also shaped like a cup.
This orchid usually flowers from August to early September.
How the Northampton Midget Greenhood Got Its Name
The Northampton midget greenhood was first officially described in 2009 by a botanist named David Jones. He found a sample of the plant near Port Gregory. He first named it Hymenochilus sinuatus. This description was published in a magazine called The Orchadian.
Then, in 2010, two other botanists, Jasmine Janes and Marco Duretto, changed its name to Pterostylis sinuata. The second part of its scientific name, sinuata, comes from a Latin word that means "bent" or "curved." This name refers to the wavy edges of the plant's leaves.
Where the Northampton Midget Greenhood Lives
The Pterostylis sinuata orchid grows in damp, low areas that are open and not too crowded with other plants. If too many shrubs start to grow in its habitat, the orchid flowers less.
This plant is very rare and is only found in five different groups of plants. These groups are located between Northampton and Kalbarri, in an area known as the Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic region. A biogeographic region is a large area of land or sea that has similar plants, animals, and ecosystems.
Protecting the Northampton Midget Greenhood
The Northampton midget greenhood is a very important plant to protect. The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife lists it as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)". This means it's a rare plant that is still found in the wild.
The Australian Government also lists it as "Endangered" (EN) under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Being "Endangered" means it faces a very high risk of disappearing from the wild in the near future.
Some of the biggest dangers to this orchid include:
- Weed invasion: When unwanted plants (weeds) grow and take over the orchid's space.
- Erosion: When soil is washed away, which can harm the plant's roots.
- Road and firebreak maintenance: Work done on roads or firebreaks (clear strips of land to stop fires) can accidentally damage the plants.
- Grazing: Animals eating the plants.
- Inappropriate fire regimes: Fires that happen too often, not often enough, or at the wrong time of year.
- Chemical drift: Harmful chemicals from nearby farms or other places blowing onto the plants.
