Pterostylis clivicola
(D.L.Jones) G.N.Backh.Flowering plant 5–16 cm tall, stem leaves 4–6, closely sheathing. Rosette leaves 5–8, ovate to elliptic, 0.6–2 cm long, 3–8 mm wide, shortly petiolate, crowded, margins entire. Flowers 3–14, 6.5–9 mm long, translucent green with darker green lines; galea porrect at base, shallowly curved for most of its length, abruptly decurved near the apex; dorsal sepal acute; lateral sepals deflexed, conjoined part broadly ovate in outline when flattened, 4–5 mm long, 5–6 mm wide, margins incurved, concave, free points broadly triangular, c. 3 mm long, spreading; petals asymmetrical, ovate, broadest towards the middle. Labellum green with a greenish black basal appendage; lamina elliptical, 2–2.2 mm long, c. 2 mm wide; appendage c. 1.8 mm long, c. 1.3 mm wide, 3-ridged, central ridge thick, higher than marginal ridges. Flowers Oct.–Dec.
MonT. Also NSW, ACT. In Victoria known only from montane grassland and herbfield near Bendoc on shallow clay loam.
Easily confused with Pterostylis bicolor, but that species is generally more robust with widely spaced non-overlapping flowers. The closely related P. agrestis is a low altitude grassland species that has an oblong labellum and a less elevated central ridge on the labellum appendage.
Currently known from one small population of about 20 plants and most likely endangered.
Spinning