Pterostylis montana is a species of greenhood orchid endemic to New Zealand. Flowering plants have erect, linear leaves on the flowering stem with a single green flower with translucent white stripes and an unusual twisted labellum.
Pterostylis montana is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber, and often grows in small colonies. Flowering plants have a single green flower with translucent white stripes on a flowering stem NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall with up to six stem leaves which are strongly keeled. The stem leaves are linear to lance-shaped increasing in size up to stem to the largest which are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and about 10sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The dorsal sepal and petals are fused, forming a hood or "galea" over the column. The dorsal sepal is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 tall, erect near its base but suddenly curves forward with a short tip slightly longer than the petals. The lateral sepals are more or less erect, spread apart from each other with short, narrow tips projecting slightly above the galea with a broad V-shaped sinus between them and a wide gap between them and the galea. The labellum is reddish-green, darker near its tip, flattened with a central ridge and its tip is twisted to one side. Flowering occurs from September to December.[1] [2] [3]
Pterostylis montana was first formally described in 1949 by Edwin Hatch and the description was published in Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand.[4] The specific epithet (montana) is a Latin word meaning "of mountains",[5] referring to the habitat of this species.
This greenhood grows in a wide range of habitats from dense forests to peat bogs on the North, South and Chatham Islands.
Pterostylis montana is classed as "not threatened".