Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: "Ruahine Mountain range, east side, Mr A. Olsen, 1894". Type:?.

Plant c. 3–10 cm. tall at fl. Stem short, erect, smooth, us. half hidden by lvs until part below ovary elongates at fr. Lvs us. 2–3, all much alike, often equalling and sts overtopping fl.; lamina c. 3–6 × (1)–1.5–2.5 cm., orbicular to broad-oval, tip obtuse to broadly subacute, base narrowing to broadly winged, sheathing petiole. Fl. solitary; ovary us. erect. Dorsal sepal c. 1.5 cm. tall, erect then horizontal, acute to very shortly acuminate; lateral sepals diverging at a narrow angle, tips acuminate to shortly caudate, not greatly overtopping galea. Petals almost as long as dorsal sepal, broad almost to tip. Labellum narrow-triangular, arched and protruding, apex subacute, inner surface quite covered with short retrorse hairs giving an unusually furry appearance. Column us. shorter than labellum; stigma narrow-elliptic.

DIST.: N., S. Wetter mountains from Egmont, Volcanic Plateau and Raukumara Ranges to c. lat. 43º.

Endemic.

FL. 11–1.

In Herb. Colenso WELT 22563 consists of 4 plants in young fr. and bears the number 4154 and Cheeseman's determination "Pterostylis venosa Col.? locality?". This cannot include the type since Colenso's 4154, though from the Ruahine Range, was sent to Kew in 1853; also of P. venosa he observed: "I have only received two specimens of this little plant . . . and I have only dissected one of them".

P. confertifolia Allan in T.N.Z.I. 56, 1926, 32. Original locality: "On margins of subalpine scrub, and in lower subalpine herb-field, about 1,200 m. altitude, Ruahine Mountains, near Apiti". Lectotype: CHR 1915 "Pterostylis confertifolia Ruahine nr Apiti" (8 plants on sheet). The sheet is annotated "Pterostylis venosa det. A. P. Druce Aug. 1961. [P. confertifolia was considered by Hatch (T.R.S.N.Z. 75(3): 369) to be identical with P. humilis. Examination of the labellum and stigma, however, show it to be P. venosa. A. P. Druce Aug. 1961]" There is nothing either in the original description or in the specimens CHR 1915 to contravene Druce's opinion.

P. trifolia Col. in T.N.Z.I. 31, 1899, 281. "Hab. Ruahine Mountain-range, east side, near secondary summits; 1898: Mr A. Olsen". Described from one specimen which has not since been found. Lvs radical, 3, broadly oblong, 1½ × 1", very obtuse, rounded, reticulate, sessile. Scape 1", fl. 1¼"; galea not long-tailed; sepals not long-tailed; petals = sepals, narrow, 1.6 cm.; labellum narrow, thickened, dark red, subacute, the appendage large. Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 1925) tentatively places this sp. under P. venosa, which seems reasonable. Rogers (Trans. roy. Soc. S. Aust. 45, 1922, 152) following his description of P. humilis says: "The new species appears to correspond rather closely to the description of P. trifolia, published by Colenso . . . As only a single specimen was discovered, and that is not available for comparison, it is not possible to say whether the two orchids are identical. Cheeseman, however, regards P. trifolia as conspecific with P. venosa, which differs from Mr Matthews' plant [P. humilis] in column and in some other respects." Hatch (T.R.S.N.Z. 75, 1945, 369) misquotes Rogers by saying "Rogers, describing Pt. humilis, expressed the opinion that it[P. trifolia] could not be included in Pt. venosa and placed it as a doubtful synonym of the new species".