Kingdom Plantae Family Orchidaceae Scientific name Pterostylis truncata | Order Asparagales Genus Pterostylis Rank Species | |
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Similar Pterostylis, Chrysanthemoides, Chrysanthemoides monilifera | ||
Pterostylis truncata, the brittle greenhood, is part of the Orchidaceae family. It is a plant localized to Australia, mainly around Victoria and usually within a 40-mile radius of Melbourne. There are three main sites where the Brittle Greenhood still exists in the wild, the You Yangs, Black Hills, and the Long Forest Mallee. Considered to be an endangered species the amount of Brittle Greenhood around Australia has declined drastically in the last few decades. Mainly local populations of the Brittle Greenhood still face very threatening conditions however from the local wildlife especially in the You Yangs area, specifically three species: European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, the Feral Goat Capra hircus, and Eastern Grey Kangaroos Macropus giganteus. However, when looked at closely there is a bigger threat to the Brittle Greenhood than animals and that is other plants, specifically the Chrysanthemoides monilifera, or Boneseed weed. In the other two before mentioned areas there is still a threat; however, the Brittle Greenhood seems to be doing better. In the Black Hills they seem to have the best chance; however, with the Long Forest Mallee there are threats from certain weeds, tourism, and the White-Winged Choughs Corcorax melanorthampos.
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Habitat
Some of the most common occurrences of the Brittle Greenhood can be found is association with the rock fern. The Brittle Greenhood can also be found in many different types of soil. It doesn't have a set soil or type of habitat it prefers, some habitats include wood forests all the way to grasslands where there is little protection. What was once known to inhabit a lot of areas around Victoria has been narrowed down to three different areas where the Brittle Greenhood is found today; Black Hills, the You Yangs, and The Long Forest Mallee.
Description
Pterostylis truncata is a small flowering plant in the Orchidaceae family. Currently believed to be the largest family of flowering plants, they require cross pollination in order to reproduce. The Brittle Greenhood is a small plant, blueish green in color with brown stripes that are accented by a white undertone. This plant is very small in stature only growing to somewhere around 5–9 cm in height. The plant is flowering and the flowering stem can reach up to 15 cm in length. Although this plant is flowering there are some instances where the plant will not flower. The flowering version with have between 2 and 5 stem leaves that can reach a maximum length of 3 cm. The non flowering version will have a version of somewhere between 2 and 6 stem leaves that form a rosette that range in size but generally do not grow larger than 30mm x 18mm.