Pterostylis banksii
Tutukiwi

PLANT: Terrestrial tuberous herb.
Up to 50cm tall. One of New Zealand's largest orchids.

LEAVES: Usually 4 - 6. Up to 25cm in length. Often keeled. Grassy.

FLOWER: Single. 3 - 5cm high. Green with translucent white stripes. Tips of tepals range in colour from white to orange-red. Dorsal sepal very long, often slightly upturned at the tip. Petals much shorter than the dorsal sepal. Lateral sepals diverge at a narrow angle, tips very long, erect or swept backward. Labellum tip is flat or arched, top reddish. Stigma long and narrow.

FLOWERING TIME: October - December.

HABITAT: Lowland to montane forests and forest margins, scrub.

CONSERVATION STATUS: Not Threatened. Locally common.

NOTES: Size, structure, and colouring can be quite variable.