Pterostylis taurus, commonly known as the little bull orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to Queensland. It has a rosette of leaves at the base and a single dark red to reddish brown and white flower that leans downwards.
Pterostylis taurus is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a rosette of green to bluish leaves, each leaf NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. Flowering plants have a similar rosette and a single dark red to reddish brown and white flower borne on a flowering spike NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 high. The flowers are NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and lean downwards. The dorsal sepal and petals are joined and curve forward forming a hood called the "galea" over the column but the dorsal sepal is longer than the petals and has a pointed tip NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. There is a narrow U-shaped sinus between the lateral sepals which have very thin, erect, thread-like tips NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long. The labellum protrudes above the sinus and is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, about 2sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, bright reddish brown and curved with a deep notch on the end. Flowering occurs between May and July.[1]
Pterostylis taurus was first described in 1989 by David Jones and Mark Clements and the description was published in Australian Orchid Research.[2] The specific epithet (taurus) is a Latin word meaning "bull".[3]
The little bull orchid grows in coastal scrub and forest between Paluma and the Mount Windsor National Park west of Daintree.