Pterostylis insectifera (Pterostylis insectifera)
Description
Pterostylis insectifera is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a rosette of between five and twelve leaves. The leaves are 18–45 mm (0.7–2 in) long and 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) wide. Flowering plants have a rosette at the base of the flowering stem but the leaves are usually withered by flowering time. Between two and eight or more translucent white, green and dark brown flowers 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) long and 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide are borne on a flowering spike 200–350 mm (8–10 in) tall. The dorsal sepal and petals form a hood or "galea" over the column with the dorsal sepal having a narrow tip 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. The lateral sepals turn downwards, towards the ovary and are stiffly-held and narrower than the galea. They suddenly taper to narrow tips 10–16 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long which turn forward and are roughly parallel to each other. The labellum is fleshy, dark brown and insect-like, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and has an enlarged "head" end with short bristles and a "body" with eight to twelve longer hairs. Flowering occurs from September to November
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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