Tarengo Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum petilum)

Description

The Tarengo Leek Orchid is a slim, terrestrial orchid and can grow up to 30 cm tall.
It grows in low numbers and in limited places.
It blooms from October to November, growing 5 to 18 flowers along a single stem.
Its leaves and flowers are mostly green with pink tinges, which makes it tricky to spot among the grass.
While they don't usually flower every year, they’ve been known to bloom at least once every 5 years, although sometimes not for 16 years.
Between 20 and 60 flowering plants are usually counted each year at Hall Cemetery.

In the ACT, the Tarengo Leek Orchid is only found in the Hall Cemetery area.
It's also known from a small number of sites in grassy woodlands and grasslands across the Southern Tablelands and Western Slopes of NSW.

There are a few reasons the Tarengo Leek Orchid is vulnerable to extinction from ecological threats. These threats include:

the distance between the different groups of these orchids means there are less chances for them to maintain or increase genetic diversity. Genetic diversity helps plants survive environmental change and disease
as more graves are made at the Hall Cemetery, the orchids may be damaged or lose habitat
they are also sometimes damaged by birds feeding in the area
other plants also compete with the orchids, with some parts of the Hall Cemetery having lots of non-native grasses, not leaving enough room for the orchids
the changing climate may also influence the flowering process. More nights with temperatures below -4°C have led to fewer flowers the next year
it's still unknown the full extent that climate change has on this species.

National – Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
Australian Capital Territory – Endangered (Nature Conservation Act 2014).

Conservation actions aim to:

take care of the grassland and woodland near the cemetery to give the orchids more space to live and grow
research and tests ways to grow more orchids or move them to new places
protects sites where the species grows and its surrounds.