Prasophyllum caricetum, commonly known as the Cathcart leek orchid,[1] is a species of orchid endemic to a small area of southern New South Wales. It has a single tubular, bright green leaf and up to twenty five green, white and purplish flowers crowded on the flowering stem. It grows in montane swamps near Cathcart.
Prasophyllum caricetum is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single tube-shaped leaf, shiny, bright green leaf NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long with a whitish base. Between five and twenty five flowers are crowded along the flowering spike. The flowers are green with purplish and white petals and a white labellum. As with others in the genus, the flowers are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped to lance-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, about 4sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and curves upwards. The lateral sepals are linear to lance-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, about 4sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and sometimes joined together. The petals are linear in shape and about the same dimensions as the lateral sepals. The labellum is broadly oblong or elliptic to egg-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide, turns upwards and has a wavy edge. Flowering occurs from December to February.[2]
Prasophyllum caricetum was first formally described in 2000 by David Jones from a specimen collected near Cathcart and the description was published in The Orchadian.[3]
This leek orchid grows in swamps with sedges and rush-like members of the family Restionaceae between Cathcart and Majors Creek in southern New South Wales.