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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Orchidaceae
Pterostylis cucullata

Citation: R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 327 (1810).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Leafy green-hood.

Description:
Stout, glabrous, often dwarfed, 5-25 cm high; leaves crowded at the base of the scape, sessile or almost so; oblong, elliptical or obovate, often 7-9 cm long; passing into 2 or 3 large leaf-like bracts, the uppermost one subtending the floral pedicel, and usually including the ovary and sometimes part of the perianth.

Flower large, solitary, glandular-pubescent, the dorsal sepal generally green, the petals labellum and lower lip chocolate; galea upwards of 3 cm long; the tip abruptly decurved in the living plant, very short and acute; lateral sepals (lower lip) erect; the lobes forming an acute sinus, shortly acuminate, curved backwards against the sides of the galea but not exceeding the latter; labellum oblong-elliptical or narrow-elliptical; the tip very blunt, slightly recurved, on a linear movable claw; lamina c. 14 mm long, traversed throughout by a central raised line; basal appendage curved, linear, densely penicillate; column erect, c. 22 mm long; upper margin of wings rounded, with a short acute tooth; lower lobe somewhat oblong with a blunt tip; stigma broad, short, ovate-lanceolate or elliptical.

Published illustration: Gray (1971) Victorian native orchids 2:68; Curtis (1980) Student's flora of Tasmania 4A:t. 4; Woolcock (1984) Australian terrestrial orchids, pl. 59B.

Distribution:  Forms small colonies in sand or fertile loam in shady locations on forested slopes but very rare.

  Vic.; Tas.

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: Sept. — Oct.


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

Biology: Putative hybrids have been reported with P. nutans (SL).

Author: Not yet available


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