About Pterostylis recurva Benth.
Pterostylis recurva Benth. is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous herb that grows from an underground tuber. Non-flowering individuals produce a rosette of three to seven leaves, each 7–40 mm (0.3–2 in) long and 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide. Flowering plants do not have a rosette; instead, they bear 10 to 16 stem leaves that are 30–50 mm (1–2 in) long and 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) wide, with their bases wrapped around the flowering stem. The flowering stem grows 150–900 mm (6–40 in) high, and holds up to four flowers that are white with green and brown lines. The flowers are jug-shaped or funnel-shaped, 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) long and 15–25 mm (0.6–1 in) wide. The dorsal sepal and petals form a hood called a "galea" over the column, and the dorsal sepal has a narrow tip 4–6 mm (0.2–0.2 in) long. The lateral sepals are joined for roughly half their length, then suddenly taper to narrow tips 23–26 mm (0.91–1.0 in) long that turn sharply downwards. The labellum is reddish, insect-like, and held inside the flower except for its tip. Flowering takes place from August to October. This species, commonly called the jug orchid, grows in woodland, shrubland, forest, and shallow soil on granite outcrops. It occurs in sand, clay, laterite, and gravel soils, and is common and widespread across the region between Geraldton and Israelite Bay.
