Pterostylis oblonga, commonly known as the coastal maroonhood, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales where it grows on the coast and tablelands. Both flowering and non-flowering plants have a rosette of dark green leaves lying flat on the ground. Flowering plants have a relatively small greenish brown and white flower which has darker brown tips.

Coastal maroonhood
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Genus: Pterostylis
Species:
P. oblonga
Binomial name
Pterostylis oblonga

Description

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Pterostylis oblonga is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous herb with an underground tuber. Both flowering and non-flowering plants have a rosette of dark green leaves, each leaf 20–60 mm (0.8–2 in) long and 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) wide. Flowering plants have a single greenish brown and white flower 14–17 mm (0.6–0.7 in) long and 5–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide on a flowering stem 80–220 mm (3–9 in) high. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column, the galea with a dark brown tip. There is a wide gap between the petals and the lateral sepals and the sinus between the lateral sepals has a central notch and curves slightly forward. The labellum is 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide, and is brown and blunt. Flowering occurs from July to September.[2]

Taxonomy and naming

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Pterostylis oblonga was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Bawley Point and the description was published in the journal Australian Orchid Research.[3] The specific epithet (oblonga) is a Latin word meaning "longer than broad".[4]

Distribution and habitat

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The coastal maroonhood grows mainly in coastal and near coastal forest between Coffs Harbour and Nowra.[2][5]

References

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  1. ^ "Pterostylis oblonga". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. ^ a b Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 302. ISBN 978-1877069123.
  3. ^ "Pterostylis oblonga". APNI. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  4. ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 567.
  5. ^ "Pterostylis oblonga". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 20 July 2017.