Pterostylis

Diurideae subtribe Pterostylidinae

Terrestrials arising from subterranean root tubers, often colony-forming by the production of tubers from the apices of horizontal roots. Leaves several, sessile, forming a basal rosette or cauline. Inflorescences terminal, solitary, sessile flowers or scapose few-flowered racemes. Flowers rather uniform throughout the genus, green or variously suffused with brown and purple, essentially forming a closed chamber. Dorsal sepal deeply concave, falcate, forming a hooked hood with the petals, the petals falcate, the lateral sepals fused toward the base, usually erect closing the chamber formed by the dorsal sepal. Lip clawed, elongate with an erect basal appendage, flexibly articulated to the column foot, forming a passive trap mechanism. Column erect, elongate, with large subapical wings; pollinia 2,

A genus of 100 species found in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and New Caledonia with the center of diversity in Australia. For the most part species of Pterostylis closely resemble each other and are more or less interchangeable in horticulture.

Banks, D. B. 1996. Notes on the “Prawn Greenhood,” Pterostylis pedoglossa Fitzg. Orchadian 12(2):68-70.

Bates, R. 1989. Pollination biology and ecology of the orchid Pterostylis cucullata (leafy greenhood) in South Australia. S. Austral. Nat. 63:85-89.

Bates, R. and J. Z. Weber 1983. A putative hybrid between Pterostylis curta and P. pedunculata (Orchidaceae) from South Australia. J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 6:197-200.

Betts, J. J. 1983. Pterostylis cardiostigma D. Cooper sp. nov., a new species for New Zealand. Orchadian 7(9):215.

Clemesha, S. C. 1981. A new subspecies of Pterostylis from North Queensland. Orchadian 7(1):13.

Clements, M. A., I. G. Matthias and D. L. Jones 1985. A new species of Pterostylis (Orchidaceae) from southeast Australia. Kew Bull. 40(1):77-80.

Coleman, E. 1934. Pollination of Pterostylis acuminata R. Br. and Pterostylis falcata Rogers. Victorian Nat. 50:248-252.

Cooper, D. 1983. Pterostylis cardiostigma, a new species of Orchidaceae from Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand J. Bot. 21:97-100.

Hatch, E. D. 1949. The New Zealand forms of Pterostylis R. Br. Trans. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 77(2):234-246.

Jones, D. L. 1985. A new species of Pterostylis from northern New South Wales. Orchadian 8(6):122-123.

Jones, D. L. 1997. Two rare new species of Pterostylis R. Br. (Orchidaceae) allied to P. alveata Garent. Orchadian 12(4):180-187.

Jones, D. L. 1997. Six new species of Pterostylis R. Br. (Orchidaceae) from Australia. Orchadian 12(6):244-258.

Jones, D. L. and M. A. Clements 1993. New species of Pterostylis R. Br. (Orchidaceae) from Victoria and New South Wales. Muelleria 8(1):73-83.

Jones, D. L. and M. A. Clements 1997. Characterization of Pterostylis gibbosa R. Br. (Orchidaceae) and description of P. saxicola, a rare new species from New South Wales. Orchadian 12(3):128-135.

Jones, D. L. and M. A. Clements 1998. Pterostylis splendens, a new species of Orchidaceae from New Caledonia. Orchadian 12(7):322-325.

Jones, D. L., M. A. Clements and B. P. J. Molloy 1997. Six new species of Pterostylis R. Br. (Orchidaceae) from New Zealand. Orchadian 12(6):266-281.

Mohr, H. 1990. Pterostylis braemii, a new terrestrial orchid from Papua New Guinea. Schlechteriana 1/90:19-21.

Mohr, H. 1990. The genus Pterostylis R. Br. Schlechteriana 2/90:77-87.

Nieuwenhoven, G. J. 1997. Notes an Pterostylis biseta and its cultivation. Orchadian 12(5):199-201.

Perkins, A. J. and P. A. McGee 1995. Distribution of the orchid mycorrhizal fungus, Rhizoctonia solani, in relation to its host, Pterostylis acuminata, in the field. Austral. J. Bot. 43:565-575.