Small kinked greenhood facts for kids

The small kinked greenhood (scientific name: Pterostylis scoliosa) is a special type of orchid that grows only in Queensland, Australia. Like other greenhood orchids, it looks different depending on whether it's flowering or not. Plants that are not flowering have a group of leaves that lie flat on the ground. But when the plant flowers, it grows a single flower with leaves on its stem. This orchid has a white, pale green, and pale brown flower. It's known for its "kinked" or curved lip, called a labellum, which sticks out above the opening of the flower.

What Does It Look Like?

The small kinked greenhood is a plant that grows from an underground tuber (like a small potato). It's a perennial herb, meaning it lives for more than two years, and it's deciduous, so its leaves fall off at certain times.

When it's not flowering, it has a group of shiny green leaves, called a rosette, that lie flat on the ground. Each leaf is about 7 to 21 mm (0.3 to 0.8 in) long and 6 to 14 mm (0.2 to 0.6 in) wide.

When it flowers, a single flower appears on a stem that is 100 to 200 mm (3.9 to 7.9 in) tall. This stem also has three to five spreading leaves. The flower itself is about 19 to 22 mm (0.7 to 0.9 in) long and 6 to 8 mm (0.2 to 0.3 in) wide. It leans slightly forward and has colors of white, pale green, and pale brown.

The top part of the flower, made from the dorsal sepal and petals, forms a hood, like a helmet, over the central part of the flower called the column. This hood has a thin, thread-like tip that is about 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in) long. The two lower sepals are joined near their base, partly closing the front of the flower. They also have upright, thread-like tips that are 14 to 16 mm (0.55 to 0.63 in) long. The space between these lower sepals is V-shaped and bulges out a bit.

The most interesting part is the labellum, or lip. It's 11 to 13 mm (0.4 to 0.5 in) long and 3 to 4 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) wide. This labellum has a sharp kink or curve and gets narrower towards its tip. It sticks out clearly above the opening of the flower. You can usually see these flowers blooming from March to May.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The small kinked greenhood was first officially described in 1997 by a botanist named David Jones. He studied a plant that was found in the Brisbane Forest Park by Cecil Ralph Crane. The description was then published in a scientific paper called Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.

The scientific name scoliosa comes from an Ancient Greek word, skolios. This word means "curved," "bent," or "oblique," which perfectly describes the unique kinked labellum of this orchid!

Where Does It Live?

This special orchid likes to grow on steep, rocky slopes in open forests. You can often find it close to streams. So far, it has only been found in the Brisbane Forest Park in Queensland.

Protecting This Orchid

Because the small kinked greenhood is only found in one specific area and is quite rare, it is considered "endangered." The Queensland Government has listed it as endangered under their Nature Conservation Act 1992. This means it's a very important plant that needs to be protected so it doesn't disappear.