''Pterostylis collina'', commonly known as the shiny bull orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It has a rosette of leaves and when flowering, a single reddish-brown, green and white flower with a curved top.

Description

''Pterostylis collina'' is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous,

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with an underground tuber and a rosette of between three and six egg-shaped leaves, each leaf long and wide. Flowering plants have a rosette at the base of a flowering stem with a single reddish-brown, green and white flower. The flower is long and wide and is borne on a flowering stem high. The dorsal sepal and

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are joined and curve forward in a semi-circle forming a hood called the "galea" over the

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

with the dorsal sepal longer than the petals. The lateral sepals are pressed against the galea and there is a broad, flat sinus between their bases. The lateral sepals have erect, thread-like tips long which spread apart from each other. The labellum is long, about wide and curved with a deep notch on the end. Flowering occurs between April and August.

Taxonomy and naming

The shiny bull orchid was first formally described in 1929 by

Herman Rupp Herman Montague Rucker Rupp (27 December 1872 – 2 September 1956) was an Australian clergyman and botanist who specialised in orchids. He was known throughout his life as Montague Rupp (pronounced "Rupe") and in later life as the "Orchid Man". R ...

who gave it the name ''Pterostylis ophioglossa'' var. ''collina''. The description was published in '' Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales'' from a specimen collected in the Paterson Valley north of Newcastle. In 1989 David Jones and Mark Clements raised the variety to species status with the name ''Pterostylis collina''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''collina'') is a Latin word meaning "of a hill" or "hilly".

Distribution and habitat

''Pterostylis collina'' grows in wet forest and on the edges of rainforest on the

north coast North Coast or Northcoast may refer to : Antigua and Barbuda * Major Division of North Coast, a census division in Saint John Parish Australia *New South Wales North Coast, a region Canada *The British Columbia Coast, primarily the communiti ...

north of Newcastle.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15493352 collina Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of New South Wales Plants described in 1929 Taxa named by Herman Rupp