Greenhoods at Jervis Bay site

These are yet more ground Orchid species found at the same Jervis Bay site. So just imagine how many plants are there, in total - the Caladenias, the Acianthus (two forms) and these Greenhoods. There were also a few other Orchid species here, but some, such as Corybas (Helmet Orchids)and Bunochilus (Tall Greenhoods) are not quite in flower yet. Speculanthas (Tiny Greenhoods) had finished.

It is an amazing area of plants. So many Orchids in one 200 metre stretch of road - surrounded by so much bush with relatively few Orchids. Why?

Taurantha concinna - the Trim Greenhood
(formerly Pterostylis concinna)

This flower is ever so slightly imperfect.

The "points" are not balanced or straight.

And the "hood" is slightly imperfectly formed.
The flower ought have a slightly more pointed dorsal sepal.

Taurantha concinna (with a particularly blunt hood).

Here is the botanical illustration from PlantNET to show what I mean

about the standard plant being slightly more pointed. 

Taurantha concinna - illustration from PlantNET

Here is the same flower - viewed from the front on.

This flower shows good colour on the front 

(more than I had remembered)

This image shows that the stem is quite rough (almost hairy).

As indicated above, you can see one point is bent over.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

You can see the labellum, which is in fact notched (V) at its top.

That is a diagnostic feature of this species.

(Other Greenhoods have V notches in the Labellum, 

but they look very different from this species.) 
The V shaped labellum is nicely illustrated above.

Taurantha concinnna

Here is the rear view of this flower.

It always seems very neat and "round bottomed"

Rear view of Taurantha concinna

Here is the rosette and the stem emerging from the centre of the rosette.

Note the sandy soil in which these plants are growing.

Rosette of Taurantha concinna

By way of contrast, here is Pterostylis acuminata.

I have shown this flower several times before, this season.

My reason to show it again is by way of contrast 

with the snub-nosed Taurantha concinna.

There were many specimens of Pt. acuminata 

growing along this same stretch of road.

Pterostylis acuminata - with a long pointed labellum 

It is the long labellum from which this plant gets its specific name.

This specimen has very nice balanced points (of the lateral sepals)

The hood is beautifully tapered, 

but not showing the extreme filiform pointed nose 

which some other species show (eg the Antelope Greenhood)

The show of light fawn colour is typical of this species.

As with so many other Greenhoods, 

this one is showing a fine cobweb underneath the flower. 

That indicates the likely presence of a tiny flower spider 

which is probably lurking inside the flower.