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Kauri greenhood

Pterostylis brumalis

Also called Winter Kauri Greenhood

Kauri greenhood
Photo: Peter de Lange, CC0

Kauri greenhood is a small, deciduous terrestrial orchid native to New Zealand's North Island, growing from an underground tuber in kauri forest leaf litter. Its key to growing is shade and cool, humid conditions similar to its native kauri forest; it is rarely cultivated.

Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Shade, Part shade
Water
Keep the soil lightly moist during its growing season and let it rest drier while dormant.
Soil
Leafy, humus-rich, well-drained mix with kauri or forest litter.
Temperature
10–20 °C; protect from frost.
How easy
Hard
Native range
New Zealand North I.
Climate
subtropical

About

Pterostylis brumalis, commonly known as kauri greenhood or winter greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to New Zealand. There is a rosette of leaves at the base of both flowering and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants have a white flower with narrow green stripes and a dorsal sepal which bends forward strongly while the petals spread widely, giving the flower a cobra-like appearance.

Where it grows

Kauri greenhood only grows in kauri (Agathis australis) forest or where there are kauri remnants. It usually grows in shady places with kauri leaf litter. It is found on the North Island between Cape Reinga, Kāwhia Harbour and the Kaimai Range.

Other Pterostylis plants

Tablelands greenhood · Needle-point rustyhood · Pterostylis actites · Sharp greenhood · Long-tongued summer greenhood · Kauri Greenhood · Sutton Grange Greenhood · Striped greenhood · Shy greenhood · Winter Greenhood · Alpine greenhood · Coastal greenhood

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pterostylis brumalis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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