Pterostylis hians, commonly known as the opera house greenhood,[2] is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. Non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but flowering plants have a single shiny white and green flower. This greenhood is only known from a single location near Ulladulla.
| Opera house greenhood | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Cranichideae |
| Genus: | Pterostylis |
| Species: | P. hians
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pterostylis hians | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
editPterostylis hians is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and when not flowering, a rosette of dark green, more or less round leaves, each leaf 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long and 9–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) wide. Flowering plants have a single bright green and white flower 13–16 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and 10–16 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wide on a stem 100–300 mm (4–10 in) tall. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column and the dorsal sepal has a short, sharply pointed tip. The lateral sepals are held closely against the galea, have erect thread-like tips 9–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and a protruding, platform-like sinus between their bases. The labellum is about 5 mm (0.2 in) long and 3 mm (0.1 in) wide, just visible above the sinus. Flowering occurs from March to May.[3]
Taxonomy and naming
editPterostylis hians was first formally described in 1997 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Manyana and the description was published in The Orchadian.[4] The specific epithet (hians) is a Latin word meaning "gaping" or "yawning".[5]
Distribution and habitat
editThe opera house greenhood grows in shrubby forest in a small area near Ulladulla.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Pterostylis hians". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ^ a b "Pterostylis hians". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ a b Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 289. ISBN 978-1877069123.
- ^ "Pterostylis hians". APNI. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 574.