About Prasophyllum suttonii R.S.Rogers & B.Rees
According to the National Herbarium of New South Wales, Prasophyllum suttonii (mauve leek orchid) is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous herb with an underground tuber. It produces a single tube-shaped leaf that can grow up to 200 mm (8 in) long. Up to thirty-five fragrant, crystalline white flowers marked with purple or mauve are crowded along a flowering stem that reaches 400 mm (20 in) in height. Like other species in the Prasophyllum genus, this orchid has inverted flowers, meaning the labellum sits above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped to lance-shaped and up to 9 mm (0.4 in) long. Lateral sepals are up to 7 mm (0.3 in) long, usually free from one another, and sometimes joined by a thin membrane. The petals are spatula-shaped, reaching up to 8 mm (0.3 in) long. The labellum is broad lance-shaped to egg-shaped, about 8 mm (0.3 in) long and 4 mm (0.2 in) wide. It turns sharply upwards near its middle, extending above the lateral sepals, and its upturned edges are crinkled or folded. A green, channelled callus runs along the center of the labellum. Flowering occurs from January to March, though the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and David Jones note this species produces fewer flowers per stem, has smaller flower organs overall, and flowers in December. This orchid grows in wet bogs within alpine and subalpine heath and grassland, and occurs mainly in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. Victorian authorities list the species as endemic to Victoria and classify it as Presumed Extinct, as it has not been collected in the state since 1902. However, Rudie Kuiter argues the species is not extinct on Mt Buffalo or elsewhere in Victoria, and that records of P. suttonii in the area have instead been re-identified as Prasophyllum alpestre.
