Prasophyllum niphopedium (Prasophyllum niphopedium)
Description
Prasophyllum niphopedium, commonly known as the marsh leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to a small area in Victoria. It has a single tubular leaf and up to twenty greenish flowers with reddish markings. It is only known from five population on grassy alpine plains with the total number of individual plants less than five hundred.Prasophyllum niphopedium is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single tube-shaped leaf up to 300 mm (10 in) long and 5 mm (0.2 in) wide at the base. Between ten and twenty faintly scented flowers are loosely arranged along flowering stem 70–120 mm (3–5 in) long which reaches to a height of 200–350 mm (8–10 in). The flowers are lightly scented, greenish with pink or reddish markings and as with others in the genus, are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The ovary is oval-shaped and 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped and 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and the lateral sepals are a similar length but linear to lance-shaped and are free, or mostly free from each other. The petals are linear to lance-shaped, 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) and curve forwards. The labellum is trowel-shaped, pink, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and turns sharply upwards near its middle. There is a brown or green, short, channelled and wrinkled callus in the centre of the labellum. Flowering occurs from December to February.
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: Prasophyllum
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