''Pterostylis ophioglossa'', commonly known as the snake-tongue greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to 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 the base and a single dull green, white and brown flower with a deeply notched labellum.

Description

''Pterostylis ophioglossa'' 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 four and six egg-shaped leaves. Each leaf is long and wide. Flowering plants have a similar rosette and a single dull green, brown and white flower borne on a flowering spike high. The flowers are long, wide and lean forward. 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 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. ...

but the dorsal sepal is longer than the petals and has a pointed tip long. There is a flat, broad U-shaped sinus between the lateral sepals which have erect, thread-like tips long. The labellum protrudes above the sinus and is long, about wide, curved and brown with a deep notch on the end. Flowering occurs between April and July.

Taxonomy and naming

''Pterostylis ophioglossa'' was first described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. 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 ...

(''ophioglossa'') is derived from the ancient Greek words () meaning "snake" and () meaning "tongue".Backer, C.A. (1936). ''Verklarend woordenboek der wetenschappelijke namen van de in Nederland en Nederlandsch-Indië in het wild groeiende en in tuinen en parken gekweekte varens en hoogere planten'' (Edition Nicoline van der Sijs).

Distribution and habitat

The snake-tongue greenhood grows in sheltered places in forest and scrub in coastal areas between

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in New South Wales and Eungella in Queensland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15500362 ophioglossa Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of New South Wales Orchids of Queensland Plants described in 1810