Pterostylis x furcillata
 

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps787ac3c6.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...psb7d36cc6.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps3fc22c61.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...psd9656bca.jpg

Very interesting.

Are these hard to grow?

Honestly I don't find it difficult, once you have the good substrate...

Definitely interesting...I think I might have to try one sometime. Thanks for the info.

Very cool!

Orchids in the genus Pterostylis are not easy to come across in the US. There are reasons for this...

Pterostylis is only one genus within a complex of plants amongst a few other genera of plants that are closely related to each other, and are commonly called "Greenhoods", (they superficially look like green cobras that have hooded up).

Pterostylis are native to Australia. These grow terrestrially, (when I use the word "terrestrially", I'm using it in the broadest sense of the word, it doesn't necessarily mean you can grow this in potting soil and expect it to work like a charm).

These plants produce an underground tuberoid, that superficially looks like a tiny spherical potato. This tuberoid is quite sensitive to damage and only has one "eye", (at the top).

They also have very few roots, (just like many terrestrial orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae do). Like many other terrestrial orchids, there is a degree of symbiosis between the plant and a special fungus it grows with. Although, some Pterostylis are less dependent on symbiotic fungi to survive, there are others that can be fairly dependent on their symbiotic partners for survival.

But what is nice with Pterostylis (as well as some other australian species) is the way of vegetative reproduction... From one tuber, with good conditions, you can have 4 or 5 new tuberoids next year... My record is 7 new tuberoids from one tuber ;)

Here a picture of this vegetative reproduction :

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s...psd9f3697b.jpg

You can see the new tuberoids at the end of the "roots"

I should also mention that the name of the game is to not rot the roots out, exactly because of how they multiply vegetatively. As you can see, the tuberoids are formed from the roots.

My opinion is that whoever wants to try growing one is more than welcome to, I'm just providing some very basic info that I think might be of some assistance to those who may not know a thing about them.

They are pretty cool orchids.

Getting 7 tuberoids is pretty impressive. It also takes some know-how and some skill, along with tiny bit of luck.

7 tuberoids, that was on Pterostylis fischii... I had 7 tubers, and when I take them out of substrate for dormancy, I had more than 40 !

Really cool!

Thanks for the picture of the plant as well.