Pterostylis crassa, commonly known as the coarse leafy greenhood, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Victoria. As with similar greenhoods, plants in flower differ from those that are not. Those not in flower have a rosette of leaves on a short stalk but when flowering, plants have up to four relatively large, shiny dark green translucent flowers on a flowering stem with stem leaves.
Pterostylis crassa, is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber. When not in flower, plants have a rosette of between three and six leaves, each leaf NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide on a stalk NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 high. Plants in flower lack a rosette but have up to four flowers on a flowering spike NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 high with between three and six linear to lance-shaped stem leaves that are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The flowers are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The dorsal sepal and petals are joined to form a hood called the "galea" over the column. The galea is transparent green with darker green lines and a brown or green, tapered tip. The lateral sepals turn downwards and are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and joined for about half their length. The labellum is NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, about NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and light brown with a dark stripe along its mid-line. Flowering occurs from September to October.[1] [2] [3]
The coarse leafy greenhood was first formally described in 2006 by David Jones and given the name Bunochilus crassus. The description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[4] In 2007, Gary Backhouse changed the name to Pterostylis crassa.[5] The specific epithet (crassa) is a Latin word meaning "thick", "fat" or "stout",[6] referring to the thick, fleshy flowers of this species.
Pterostylis crassa occurs in dry woodland and forest in the far north-east corner of Victoria.