Prasophyllum patens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Broad-lipped leek orchid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prasophyllum patens growing near Jervis Bay | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Diurideae |
| Subtribe: | Prasophyllinae |
| Genus: | Prasophyllum |
| Species: | P. patens |
| Binomial name | |
| Prasophyllum patens | |
Prasophyllum patens, commonly known as the broad-lipped leek orchid[2] or sandstone leek orchid,[3] is a species of orchid endemic to the Sydney region of New South Wales. It has a single tubular green leaf and up to thirty green to greenish-brown, lemon-scented flowers with a white labellum.
Prasophyllum patens is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single tube-shaped leaf 250–500 mm (10–20 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide. Between ten and thirty lemon-scented flowers are arranged along 60–100 mm (2–4 in) of a flowering stem 300–600 mm (10–20 in) tall. The flowers are green to greenish-brown, 8–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide and as with others in the genus, are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide and the lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, 1–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) wide and free from each other. The petals are linear to oblong, pointed, about 5–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and spread widely apart. The labellum is white, linear to egg-shaped, 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) wide and turns back on itself near its middle. The edges of the labellum are folded and crinkled and there is a pale green callus in its centre but ending just after the bend. Flowering occurs between September and October.[3][2]
Taxonomy and naming
Prasophyllum patens was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[1][4] The specific epithet (patens) is a Latin word meaning "lying open".[5]
