Pterostylis microglossa

Kalbarri shell orchid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Genus: Pterostylis
Species:
P. microglossa
Binomial name
Pterostylis microglossa
Synonyms[2]

Pterostylis microglossa, commonly known as the Kalbarri shell orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. Non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but flowering plants lack a rosette and have a flowering stem with leaves and a single green, white and brownish-red flower.

Description

Pterostylis microglossa is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber. Non-flowering plants have a rosette of more or less round leaves and sometimes the plants form colonies so that the rosette leaves cover an area of several square metres. Flowering plants lack a rosette but have a single green, white and brownish-red flower 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide on a flowering stem 50–120 mm (2–5 in) high. There are between four and six leaves 10–25 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide on the flowering stem. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column, the dorsal sepal with a short point. The lateral sepals are held close to the galea and have erect, tips 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long. The labellum is short but just visible above the sinus between the lateral sepals. Flowering occurs in June and July.[3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Pterostylis microglossa was first formally described in 2012 by David Jones and Christopher French from a specimen collected near Kalbarri National Park and the description was published in Australian Orchid Review. The species had previously been known as Pterostylis sp. 'Kalbarri'.[2] The specific epithet (microglossa) is derived from the Ancient Greek words mikros meaning "small" or "little"[5]: 488  and glossa meaning "tongue"[5]: 370  referring to the relatively short labellum.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The Kalbarri shell orchid grows in shallow soil on granite outcrops and on consolidated sand dunes between Shark Bay and the Moore River in the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions.[3][6]

Conservation

Pterostylis microglossa is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Pterostylis microglossa". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. ^ a b c "Pterostylis microglossa". APNI. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b Brown, Andrew; Dixon, Kingsley; French, Christopher; Brockman, Garry (2013). Field guide to the orchids of Western Australia : the definitive guide to the native orchids of Western Australia. Simon Nevill Publications. p. 348. ISBN 9780980348149.
  4. ^ Hoffman, Noel; Brown, Andrew (2011). Orchids of South-West Australia (3rd ed.). Gooseberry Hill: Noel Hoffman. p. 399. ISBN 9780646562322.
  5. ^ a b Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  6. ^ a b "Pterostylis microglossa". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.