Mountain greenhood (Pterostylis alpina)
Description
Pterostylis alpina is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a rosette of three to five leaves surrounding the base of the flowering stem. Each leaf is egg-shaped to elliptic, 30-60 mm long and 15-30 mm wide. A single white flower with dark green marks and 25-30 mm long and 9-12 mm wide is borne on a spike 120-300 mm high. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column. The dorsal sepal curves forward with a pointed tip. There is a wide gap between the galea and the lateral sepals. The lateral sepals are swept back, have thread-like tips 13-18 mm long and a bulging sinus between them. The labellum is 12-14 mm long, about 3 mm wide, dark green to brown, blunt, and curved and protrudes above the sinus. Flowering occurs from August to October.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Asparagales
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Family: Orchidaceae
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Genus: Pterostylis
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