Pterostylis thulia
Pterostylis thulia is a small orchid species endemic to northern Queensland. It grows from a rosette of four to seven leaves at the base, each leaf about 5–25 mm long and 3–9 mm wide. From a flowering stalk 50–200 mm tall, up to five flowers appear on short stalks.
The flowers are transparent pale brown. The top parts (the dorsal sepal and petals) are fused to form a hood, or galea, over the column. The galea is slightly curved and features light brown markings. The dorsal sepal is 13–18 mm long with a tip 7–13 mm long. The side sepals bend downward, are 5–8 mm long and wide, and have thread-like points 15–22 mm long that spread apart at the tips.
The labellum (the lip) is insect-like, reddish-brown, about 3–4 mm long and 1.6–2 mm wide, attached by a 1.5 mm claw. It has 10–16 white bristles up to 3 mm long that project forward.
Flowering occurs from July to September. The seed capsule is ellipsoidal, about 8–10 mm long and 3–4 mm wide.
Taxonomy and name: It was first described in 2010 by David Jones as Oligochaetochilus thulius from a specimen collected near Blencoe Falls on the Herbert River in 1971. In 2010, Jasmine Janes and Marco Duretto renamed it Pterostylis thulia. The name thulia comes from the Ancient Greek word Thoule, meaning “farthest north,” reflecting its status as the northernmost known member of the genus at that time.
Distribution and habitat: Pterostylis thulia is only known from the type location, where it grows among grass tussocks and rocks in open forest at 450–500 m above sea level.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:21 (CET).