Pterostylis

Greenhood
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 coccinea, sepals and petals removed
(1) - Lip
(2) - Hinge
(3) - stigma
(4) - pollinia

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.

Species

• Pterostylis acuminata
• Pterostylis agathicola
• Pterostylis alveata
• Pterostylis alobula
• Pterostylis areolata
• Pterostylis auriculata
• Pterostylis australis
• Pterostylis baptistii
• Pterostylis banksii
  • var. banksii
  • var. silvicultrix
• Pterostylis barbata
• Pterostylis basaltica
• Pterostylis brumalis
• Pterostylis caulescens
• Pterostylis cardiostigma
• Pterostylis cernua
• Pterostylis collina
• Pterostylis concinna
• Pterostylis cucullata
• Pterostylis curta
• Pterostylis cycnocphala
• Pterostylis despectans
• Pterostylis foliata
• Pterostylis gibbosa
• Pterostylis graminea
• Pterostylis grandiflora
• Pterostylis humilis
• Pterostylis irsoniana
• Pterostylis irwinii
• Pterostylis melagramma
• Pterostylis micromega
• Pterostylis montana
  • var. montana
  • var. rubricaulis
• Pterostylis mutica
• Pterostylis nana
• Pterostylis nutans
• Pterostylis oliveri
• Pterostylis ophioglossa
• Pterostylis papuana
• Pterostylis parviflora
• Pterostylis patens
• Pterostylis paludosa
• Pterostylis plumosa
• Pterostylis porrecta
• Pterostylis praetermissa
• Pterostylis puberula
• Pterostylis reflexa
• Pterostylis revoluta
• Pterostylis rufa
• Pterostylis sanguinea
• Pterostylis saxicola
• Pterostylis stenochila
• Pterostylis tanypoda
• Pterostylis tasmanica
• Pterostylis tristis
• Pterostylis trullifolia
  • var. gracillis
  • var. trullifolia
• Pterostylis venosa
• Pterostylis woolsii

• 
  Pterostylis curta
• 
  Pterostylis grandiflora
• 
  Bunochilus melagrammus (syn Pterostylis melagramma)
• 
  Pterostylis stenochila setting seeds

References

Flora of New Zealand, Volume II