Gardening with Indigenous Plants
Indigenous Plant Use
Identification & Control of Common Weeds
| Botanical Name: | Pterostylis nutans |
| Common Name: | nodding greenhood, parrot's beak orchid |
| Sold As: | Tube ($2.00) |
| Plant Type(s): | Ground Cover (up to 30 cm), Low Growing Shrub (30 cm to 1 m) |
| Growing Conditions: | Partial Shade, Shade
Fertile, Moist |
| Size (HxW): | 30 cm high |
| Foliage: | Ground-hugging rosette of 3-6 stalked dark green egg-shaped leaves 20-90 mm x 10-20 mm, around the base of the stem, margins wavy. 2-3 small stem-clasping leaves. |
| Flowers: | Single translucent green with darker stripes nodding flower to 20 mm. Hood curved forward, orange-red pointed tips. Sepals projecting out past hood, gap narrow, deeply notched, points to 15 mm. Lip brown-tipped, rough, curved in semi-circle through gap. March-October. |
| General Comments: | Common plant forming large colonies. Generally the plants are grown in pots in a freely draining, sandy mix. They require good air circulation in a protected position of about 50% sun during the growing period from late summer. During this growing period the plants must not be allowed to dry out. After the leaves have turned brown in late spring to early summer the pots are allowed to dry out completely. Repotting of tubers can be carried out in summer. |
 Further Information: |
