Basalt greenhood

Description

Pterostylis basaltica, is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber. It has a rosette of between eight and fifteen leaves at the base of the flowering spike, each leaf 15–30 mm (0.6–1 in) long and 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide. The leaves are egg-shaped and pointed and have usually withered by the time the flowers open. Up to fifteen translucent white flowers with green and brown markings, 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) long and 9–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) wide are borne on a flowering spike 100–300 mm (4–10 in) tall. Three to five stem leaves are wrapped around the flowering spike. The dorsal sepal and petals form a hood over the column with the dorsal sepal having an upturned point 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long. The lateral sepals turn downwards, are more or less parallel, joined at their bases and with a few short white hairs. The lateral sepals have thread-like tips 12–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in) long and spreading apart from each other. The labellum is thick, brownish, fleshy, insect-like, about 5 mm (0.2 in) long and 3 mm (0.1 in) wide. There are six to eight pairs of spreading white hairs on the sides of the labellum and four shorter hairs on the swollen "head" end. Flowering occurs from November to December.