''Pterostylis scoliosa'', commonly known as the small kinked greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to Queensland. As with similar greenhoods, the flowering plants differ from those which are not flowering. The non-flowering plants have a rosette of leaves flat on the ground but the flowering plants have a single flower with leaves on the flowering stem. This greenhood has a white, pale green and pale brown flower with a kinked or curved labellum protruding above the sinus between the lateral sepals.

Description

''Pterostylis scoliosa'' 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 shiny green leaves lying flat on the ground. Each leaf is long and wide. Flowering plants have a single flower long and wide which leans slightly forwards on a flowering stem high with between three and five spreading stem leaves. The flower is white, pale green and pale brown. 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 with a thread-like tip long. The lateral sepals are fused near their base, partly closing off the front of the flower and have erect, thread-like tips long. The sinus between the lateral sepals bulges slightly and is V-shaped. The labellum is long, wide and is sharply kinked or curved, tapered near the tip and protrudes prominently above the sinus. Flowering occurs from March to May.

Taxonomy and naming

''Pterostylis scoliosa'' was first formally described in 1997 by David Jones from a specimen collected in the Brisbane Forest Park by Cecil Ralph Crane. The description was published in ''

Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales ( Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society suc ...

''. 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 ...

(''scoliosa'') is derived from the Ancient Greek word ''skolios'' meaning "curved", "bent" or "oblique".

Distribution and habitat

The small kinked greenhood grows on steep, rocky slopes in open forest, often near streams. It is only known from the Brisbane Forest Park.

Conservation

''Pterostylis scoliosa'' is classified as "endangered" under the Queensland Government '' Nature Conservation Act 1992''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15493205 scoliosa Endemic orchids of Australia Orchids of Queensland Plants described in 1997