Tobias Westmeier’s Website

Notes

This species of Greenhood is closely related to the Frog Greenhood (Pterostylis sargentii), and the two species look almost identical. However, it is readily distinguished from the Frog Greenhood by its much later spring flowering period (Sep–Oct), slender, curved labellum which is densely covered in short, white hairs, and the fact that the flowers assume a characteristic bright-orange colour when they begin to wither.

The Little Frog Greenhood is fairly widespread across the Wheatbelt of Western Australia from Kalbarri in the north to Esperance in the south. I have mainly encountered it in the western Wheatbelt between Brookton and the Dryandra Woodland, but its range extends much further inland into the eastern Wheatbelt and adjacent Goldfields. It appears to favour dry leaf and bark litter in Wandoo woodland and often grows alongside the Frog Greenhood, but flowers about a month and a half later when the Frog Greenhood is already withered.

Photos

References

• Pterostylis occulata in the Australian Plant Name Index
• Pterostylis occulata in the Atlas of Living Australia
• Pterostylis occulata in the Western Australian FloraBase