Prasophyllum nitidum, commonly known as the shining leek orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to southern continental Australia. It has a single tube-shaped leaf and up to twenty maroon, magenta or purple and green flowers with a pale purple to maroon labellum. It is a recently described plant, previously included with P. fitzgeraldii, but distinguished from that species by its shorter flower spike, glossy flowers and shining, raised labellum callus. It grows in the south-east of South Australia and in a single location in western Victoria.
Prasophyllum nitidum is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single tube-shaped, shiny, green leaf which is NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide near its maroon-tinged base. Between five and twenty scented, maroon, magenta or purple and green flowers are loosely arranged along a flowering spike NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, reaching to a height of 400sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1. The flowers are NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. As with others in the genus, the flowers are inverted so that the labellum is above the column rather than below it. The dorsal sepal is lance-shaped to egg-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long and NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide. The lateral sepals are greenish-brown or maroon, linear to lance-shaped, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide, mostly free from each other and curved backwards. The petals are purplish maroon, oblong, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, about 1.5sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and spread widely. The labellum is pale purple to maroon, oblong to egg-shaped, NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, NaNsigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 wide and turns sharply upward at 90° about half-way along. The upturned part is wavy or crinkled with hair-like papillae on the edges. There is a raised, oblong to egg-shaped, shiny callus which is darker than the labellum and which is in the centre of the labellum and extending almost to its tip. Flowering occurs in late September and October.[1] [2]
Prasophyllum nitidum was first formally described in 2017 by David Jones and Robert Bates and the description was published in Australian Orchid Review from a specimen collected in the Desert Camp Conservation Park.[3] The specific epithet (nitidum) is a Latin word meaning "shining", "glittering" or "bright",[4] referring to the shiny flowers.
The shining leek orchid mostly grows in woodland on fertile plains in the mid to upper south-east of South Australia and near Edenhope in far western Victoria.