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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Orchidaceae
Prasophyllum elatum

Citation: R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 318 (1810).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Tall leek-orchid.

Description:
Robust, ranging in this State from 45-150 cm high; leaf usually rather short, but occasionally exceeding the spike; the whole plant varying in colour from a pale-green to dark-purple or almost black.

Flowers spreading, large, lightly perfumed, sessile, on a narrow elongated terete ovary, appressed to the stem; dorsal sepal lanceolate, c. 10.5 mm long, moderately acute, concave, erect or recurved; lateral sepals united from about the middle almost to the tips, falcate, lanceolate, c. 10 mm long; petals about the same length but much narrower, falcate, lanceolate, generally spreading; labellum sessile, not gibbous at the base, ovate, c. 8 mm long and c. 6.5 mm wide, slightly recurved from about the middle; basal margins entire, those in front corrugated; callose portion ovate, occupying most of the lamina and ending about midway between the bend and the tip, with free crenulated lateral margins united anteriorly; anther erect, 2-celled, with a short acute point, of varying height but usually at the same level as the rostellum; rostellum long and narrow, with a large ovate disk; pollinia 2, deeply 2-lobed, attached to the disk by a rather long caudicle; column horizontal, appendages bluntly linear-falcate, very long, much exceeding the rostellum, with a small thickened basal lobe, not adnate to the stigmatic-plate; stigma prominent, more or less rounded or shield-like.

Published illustration: Fitzgerald (1884

Distribution:  Occurs singly or in small groups in a variety of soils and habitats.

S.Aust.: FR, EP, NL, MU, YP, SL, KI, SE.   All States except the N.T.

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: Oct. — Nov.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: Flowers more prolifically after fires which also stimulate production of melanic pigmentation in the leaf. The tallest South Australian orchid.

Author: Not yet available


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