''Pterostylis maxima'', commonly known as the large rustyhood, is a plant in the orchid family
Orchidaceae and is
endemic to south-eastern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It has a
rosette of leaves at its base and up to eight relatively large, dark brown flowers with transparent "windows" and a thin, dark insect-like
labellum.
Description
''Pterostylis maxima'', 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. It has a
rosette of between six and twelve egg-shaped leaves at the base of the flowering spike, each leaf long and wide. Between two and eight dark reddish-brown flowers with transparent sections, each flower long and wide are borne on a flowering spike tall. Four to six stem leaves are wrapped around the flowering spike. 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 to form a hood called the "galea" over the column with the dorsal sepal having a thread-like tip long. The
lateral sepals are wider than the galea, dished, densely hairy on their outer edges and suddenly taper to thread-like tips long and parallel to each other. The
labellum is reddish-brown, thin and insect-like, long and about wide. The "head" end is swollen with two long bristles and there are up to 8 to 12 shorter bristles on each side of the "body". Flowering occurs from October to November.
Taxonomy and naming
''Pterostylis maxima'' was first formally described in 1989 by
David Jones and
Mark Clements from a specimen collected near
Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
and the description was published in ''Australian Orchid Research''.
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 ...
(''maxima'') is a
Latin word meaning "greatest" or "largest".
Distribution and habitat
The large rustyhood occurs in scattered populations south from
Temora in
New South Wales and across
Victoria to the south-east bioregion of
South Australia. It grows in woodland, open forest and
mallee.
Conservation
''Pterostylis maxima'' is described as "vulnerable" in Victoria and as "endangered" in South Australia.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15493008
maxima
Endemic orchids of Australia
Orchids of New South Wales
Orchids of South Australia
Orchids of Victoria (Australia)
Plants described in 1989