Prasophyllum castaneum
| Chestnut leek orchid | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Diurideae |
| Subtribe: | Prasophyllinae |
| Genus: | Prasophyllum |
| Species: |
P. castaneum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Prasophyllum castaneum |
|
Prasophyllum castaneum, commonly known as the chestnut leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Tasmania. It has a single tubular, dark green leaf with a dark purplish base and between ten and twenty chestnut coloured to dark brown flowers. In 2000, the entire population was estimated to be about fifty plants.
Contents
Description
Prasophyllum castaneum is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single tube-shaped, dark green to brownish-green leaf which is Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). long and Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). wide with a dark purplish-red base. The free part of the leaf is Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). long. Between ten and twenty flowers are arranged along a thin flowering spike Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). long. The flowers are chestnut-coloured to dark brown, Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). long and Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). wide. The dorsal sepal is broadly lance-shaped to egg-shaped, Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). long and about Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). wide and curves downwards. The lateral sepals are Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). long, about Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). wide, erect and curve away from each other. The petals are narrow egg-shaped to lance-shaped, Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). long and about Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). wide. The labellum is about Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). long and Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). wide, turns upwards at about 90° near its middle, and its edges are slightly wavy. Flowering occurs from late November to January.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming
Prasophyllum castaneum was first formally described in 1998 by David Jones from a specimen collected on Bruny Island and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[1][2] The specific epithet (castaneum) is a Latin word meaning "of the colour of chestnuts",[5] referring to the colour of the flowers.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The chestnut leek orchid grows in moist heath under low shrubs in the South Bruny National Park and Tasman National Park.[2][4]
Conservation
Prasophyllum castaneum is only known from two populations containing a total of fifty plants. The species is classified as Endangered under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 and as Critically Endangered under the Commonwealth Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) Act. Although both population are in national parks, one would be devastated by bushfire and the other is threatened by invasion of scrubby species in the absence of fire.[3][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
Data related to Prasophyllum castaneum at Wikispecies
