Characterisation of natural hybrids between Pterostylis alveata Garnet and Pterostylis ophioglossa R. Br. (Orchidaceae) by starch gel electrophoresis

A putative natural inter-specific orchid hybrid between Pterostylis alveata and P. ophioglossa from Fingal Point, New South Wales, Australia, with intermediate morphological characters between the parents was tested using starch gel electrophoresis. Four enzyme systems, glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI), uridine diphosphogluconic pyrophosphatase (UDP), malic enzyme (ME) and leucine amino-peptidase (LAP), exhibited precisely the heterozygote pattern in the hybrid plants demonstrating the presence of alleles from both parents and distinguishing hybrid genotypes from the parental genotype.