Curtis's Botanical Magazine/Volume 58/3085
.png)
( 3085 )
Pterostylis nutans. Nodding-flowered Pterostylis.
❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈
Class and Order.
Gynandria Monandria.
(Nat. Ord.—Orchideæ.)
Generic Character.
Perianthium ringeus, tetraphyllum, foliolo inferiore bifido, (e duobus infra cohærentibus conflato.) Labellum unguiculatum, subinclusum. Lamina basi appendicaluta v. gibbosa. Ungue infra labio inferiore connato. Columna basi galca connata, apice alata. Anthera terminalis, persistens, loculis approximatis. Massæ Pollinis in singulo loculo binæ, compressæ, pulvereæ. Stigma medio columnæ adnatum. Br.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
Descr. Leaves radical, spreading in a stellated manner, oval, rather acute,membranous, striated, reticulated, tapering into a short petiole. Scape erect, scarcely a span high, erect, glabrous, with about two foliaceous, sheathing bracteas, and terminated by a solitary, nodding flower: the three upper segments of the flower are approximate so as to
form a helmet, very convex, gibbous at the base, acuminate at the extremity, greenish-white, striated. Lower segment (of two combined segments) small in proportion to the rest of the flower, green, with two lanceolato-subulate lacinæ. Labellum linear-attenuated, downy, rather thickened and obtuse at the extremity. Column green, with two broad, white wings towards the extremity. Germen clavate, furrowed.
Introduced to the Royal Gardens at Kew from New Holland, in the year 1826. The drawing was made from an excellent flowering specimen, in September, 1828, and obligingly commenicated to Mr. Aiton.
In the direction the flower, and in the shape of the labellum, this species is altogether different from the P. curta, figured in our next plate.
Fig. 1. Back view of a Flower, nat. size. 2. Labellum, with its penicelated appendage. 3. Front view of the Column:–all but fig. 1. magnified.
- ↑ Derived from πτερθν, a wing, and στυλοξ, a style, is allusion to the winged style or column.