''Pterostylis multiflora'', commonly known as the tall tiny greenhood, is a species of
orchid 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 ...
. As with similar orchids, plants in flower differ from those that are not. Those not in flower have a
rosette of leaves lying flat on the ground. Plants in flower lack a rosette but have up to twenty tiny green, white, and brown flowers in summer. The flowering stem has up to six stem leaves.
Description
''Pterostylis multiflora'' 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 when not flowering, a rosette of three to eight egg-shaped to heart-shaped leaves that lie flat on the ground. Each leaf is long and wide. Plants in flower have between three and twenty flowers long, crowded on a spike high. Between three and six stem leaves are wrapped around the flowering spike. The flowers are green and white near their bases and brownish nearer the tip. 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 fused, forming a hood or "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. ...
. The galea is erect near its base but then curves forward. The
lateral sepals are erect, held closely against the galea with narrow tips about long that do not project above the galea. There is a small notch in the
sinus between the bases of the lateral sepals. The
labellum is about long, about wide and is not visible from outside the flower. Flowering occurs from January to March.
Taxonomy and naming
This greenhood was first formally described in 2008 by
David Jones who gave it the name ''Speculantha multiflora'' and published the description in ''Australian Orchid Research''.
In 2010, Gary Backhouse changed the name to ''Pterostylis multiflora''.
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 ...
(''multiflora'') is a
Latin word meaning "many-flowered".
Distribution and habitat
The tall tiny greenhood grows in open forest with grasses or shrubs in north-eastern
Victoria.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17329289
multiflora
Endemic orchids of Australia
Orchids of Victoria (Australia)
Plants described in 2008