Pterostylis clavigera, commonly known as the hairy snail orchid, is a species of orchid which is endemic to New South Wales. It has a rosette of leaves at its base, and when flowering, a single narrow, bright green and white flower on a rough flowering stem.
Pterostylis clavigera is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a rosette of dull green leaves NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide with wavy edges. A single bright green and white flower, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide is borne on a flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 high and covered with short hairs. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column, the sepal and petals with a short, nearly horizontal point on the end. The lateral sepals are erect, in close contact with the galea and have thread-like tips NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The lateral sepals almost close off the front of the flower and the sinus between them has a dark green central area. The labellum is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and hidden inside the flower. Flowering occurs from June to September.[1]
Pterostylis clavigera was first formally described in 1885 by Robert D. FitzGerald and the description was published in Journal of Botany, British and Foreign.[2] The specific epithet (clavigera) is a Latin word meaning "club-bearing".[3]
The hairy snail orchid grows in shrubland, woodland and rocky slopes between Mudgee and Dubbo and in nearby areas.