Scarlet greenhood (Pterostylis coccina)
Description
Pterostylis coccina is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and when not flowering, a rosette of two to five egg-shaped, flat, dark green leaves, each leaf 15-30 mm long and 10-15 mm wide. Flowering plants have a single flower 40-50 mm long and 16-19 mm wide borne on a spike 80-220 mm high with between three and five stem leaves. The flowers are white and bluish-green or white and red and lean forwards. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column. The dorsal sepal curves forward with a thread-like tip 12-16 mm long. The lateral sepals are held closely against the galea, have erect, thread-like tips 35-45 mm long and a relatively flat, slightly protruding sinus between their bases. The labellum is 20-25 mm long, about 4 mm wide, reddish-brown, blunt, and curved and protrudes beyond the sinus. Flowering occurs from January to April.
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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