About Prasophyllum alpinum R.Br.
Prasophyllum alpinum R.Br., commonly called the alpine leek orchid, is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous herb that grows from an underground tuber. It produces a single tube-shaped leaf, measuring 80–200 mm (3–8 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide. The leaf has a white base, and its free section is 80–120 mm (3–5 in) long. Between five and fourteen flowers are arranged along a 30–100 mm (1–4 in) long flowering spike. The flowers are green to greenish-brown and 5–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long, and some flowers sometimes fail to open. Like other species in the Prasophyllum genus, the flowers of this species are inverted, with the labellum positioned above the column instead of below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide. The lateral sepals are joined along their edges. The petals are linear to egg-shaped, about 4 mm (0.2 in) long and 1 mm (0.04 in) wide. The labellum is egg-shaped to broad lance-shaped, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide, and colored white or greenish. Flowering takes place from December to January. This orchid is common in moist alpine grassland and herbfields at elevations above 650 m (2,000 ft), south of Cradle Mountain.
