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Blunt-tongue greenhood

Pterostylis obtusa

Blunt-tongue greenhood
Photo: Geoff Derrin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pterostylis obtusa is a small terrestrial orchid, a greenhood, native to moist grassy places in New South Wales and Lord Howe Island. It is a wild orchid rarely grown in gardens, and cultivation depends on keeping its tuber in damp, cool, grassy conditions.

Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Light
Part shade
Water
Keep the soil moist during the growing season and let it rest drier after flowering in summer.
Soil
Moist, humus-rich soil with good drainage, such as a leafy loam mix.
Temperature
Cool to mild temperatures; protect from frost and heat above about 30 °C.
How easy
Hard
Native range
SE. Queensland to Victoria, Lord Howe I.
Climate
subtropical

About

Pterostylis obtusa, commonly known as the blunt-tongue greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to New South Wales. It is distinguished from similar greenhood orchids by its thick, flat, platform-like sinus and blunt labellum which is only just visible above the sinus.

Where it grows

The blunt-tongue greenhood grows among grass in moist places on the ranges and tablelands of New South Wales and on Lord Howe Island. Specimens from Tasmania are Pterostylis atrans.

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 obtusa 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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