Common name: Tall Leek Orchid, Piano Orchid
Prasophyllum elatum R.Br. APNI*
Description: Terrestrial herb, to 150 cm high.
Leaf to 120 cm long, dark green or purplish Inflorescence often > 60-flowered, crowded.
Flowers pale yellowish green to brownish or purplish black, faintly fragrant. Dorsal sepal ovate to lanceolate, to 11 mm long. Lateral sepals to 11 mm long, united most of their length but unification often weak. Lateral petals lanceolate to ovate, to 10 mm long. Labellum sessile, lamina to 10 mm long, broad-ovate when flattened; in living flowers the upper half of the lamina recurves until it becomes erect or forms a weakly erect arch, the margins towards the tip crisped to pleated. Callus plate green, extended at least three-quarters the length of the lamina tip, broad and widely channelled so that the margins form 2 raised, continuous, wing-like ridges (joining at apex). Column wings long, narrow and sickle-shaped; rostellum shorter than wings.
Flowering: August–October, flowering freely only after fires.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in coastal heath, scrub and forest, and inland in sandy mallee to heath or rock outcrops; west to Narrabri district.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, CT, CWS, NWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas. W.A. S.A.
This species shows considerable variation throughout its range.
Text by P. Bernhardt & R. R. Rowe Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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