Pterostylis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

iGreenhood

Pterostylis coccinea

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Tribe:	Diurideae
Subtribe:	Pterostylidinae
Genus:	Pterostylis R.Br., 1810

Type Species

Pterostylis curta

Species

See text.

Pterostylis is a terrestrial deciduous genus of some 100 or so species of orchids found mainly in New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. The common name of this orchid is Greenhood - a number of species have green flowers with the dorsal sepal forming a "hood" over the rest of the flower. The name Pterostylis is based on the Greek words meaning winged column (pteron - a wing, stylis - a column). In a number of species, the flower has a hinged lip that swings backwards when touched by an insect, forming a tube with the column and wings. The trapped insect is then forced to crawl out of the tube, removing the pollinia in the process.