''Pterostylis patens'' is a species of greenhood orchid endemic to New Zealand. Flowering have plants spreading leaves on the flowering stem and a single green and white flower with spreading, tapering lateral sepals.

Description

''Pterostylis patens'', commonly known as tutukiwi or greenhood, 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. Both flowering and non-flowering plants have between four and six erect, lance-shaped leaves which are long, wide and grass-like. Flowering plants have a single green flower with white stripes which is prominently inflated near its base. 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 dorsal sepal is tall and curves forward then downward, tapering to a thin tip long. There is a wide gap between the galea and the lateral sepals which spread apart from each other, with long, thread-like tips up to long which sometimes almost meet behind the ovary. The labellum is flat in cross-section gently curved and protrudes above the sinus between the lateral sepals. Flowering occurs from February to April.

Taxonomy and naming

''Pterostylis patens'' was first formally described by

William Colenso William Colenso (17 November 1811 – 10 February 1899) FRS was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician. He attended the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and later wrote an accou ...

and the description was published in '' Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute'' in 1886. 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 ...

(''patens'') is a Latin word meaning "open" or "exposed".

Distribution and habitat

This greenhood mostly grows in montane and subalpine forests, often of '' Nothofagus'' and in scrub. It is usually found in damp, shady places and occurs on the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

south of

Mount Pirongia Mount Pirongia is an extinct stratovolcano located in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It rises to 959 metres and is the highest peak in the Waikato region. It was active in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene times. ...

and on the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

Conservation

''Pterostylis patens'' is classed as "not threatened".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15491788

patens A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

Orchids of New Zealand Plants described in 1886