Flora of New Zealand Series

Fls bisexual, zygomorphic, in spikes, racemes or panicles, or solitary. Per. mostly petaloid, of 6 segs in 2 whorls, free or variously connate, occ. joined to form a tube; the middle seg. in each whorl us. different from the 2 lateral ones, the middle petal or labellum often differing greatly in size, shape or outgrowths (calli) from the others and us. directed downwards; nectary sts contained within a spur or sac from one or more of the per.-segs. Anthers and stigmas borne on a ± erect, us. fleshy structure, the column. Anthers 1 or 2, 2-locular, introrse, opening by longitudinal slits; pollen grains rarely free, us. aggregated in tetrads or larger groups (pollinia) that are mealy, waxy or quite hard and sts terminate in a sterile caudicle. Ovary inferior, 1-locular with 3 parietal placentae (rarely 3-locular); stigma borne on the part of the column facing the labellum, of 3 or 2 lobes, the median lobe sts represented by a small process, the rostellum, between the stigma and the anther; viscid areas (viscidia) are sts associated with the rostellum and to these the pollinia become attached either directly or by a connecting strip of non-viscid rostellar or columnar tissue known as the stipe. Fr. us. a capsule dehiscing by 3 or 6 longitudinal slits. Seeds very ∞, minute, often elongated, without endosperm or differentiated embryo. Perennial, terrestrial, epiphytic or saprophytic herbs with rhizomes, tubers or thickened rootstocks. Aerial stem often swollen at base into pseudobulb, and often with adventitious or aerial roots. Lvs us. entire, often distichous, sheathing at base, sts reduced to scales. Worldwide, of 500-800 genera and perhaps 30,000 spp. The 21 N.Z. genera are all except 3 (Aporostylis, Earina and Yoania) recorded also from Australia, and at least one third of the spp. are common to the two countries.

SYNOPSIS

• Subfamily ORCHIDOIDEAE (= MONANDRAE) 
• • Tribe NEOTTIEAE 
  • • Subtribe CHLORAEINAE: 
    • • 1. Acianthus, 2. Adenochilus, 3. Caladenia, 4. Aporostylis, 5. Chiloglottis, 6. Lyperanthus, 7. Corybas, 8. Calochilus, 9. Thelymitra
    • Subtribe PTEROSTYLIDINAE: 
    • • 10. Caleana, 11. Pterostylis
    • Subtribe DIURIDINAE: 
    • • 12. Orthoceras
    • Subtribe PRASOPHYLLINAE: 
    • • 13. Prasophyllum, 14. Microtis
    • Subtribe SPIRANTHINAE: 
    • • 15. Spiranthes
  • Tribe EPIDENDREAE 
  • • Subtribe GASTRODIINAE: 
    • • 16. Gastrodia
    • Subtribe EPIDENDRINAE: 
    • • 17. Earina
    • Subtribe DENDROBIINAE: 
    • • 18. Dendrobium, 19. Bulbophyllum
    • Subtribe CYRTOPODIINAE: 
    • • 20. Yoania
    • Subtribe SARCANTHINAE: 
    • • 21. Drymoanthus

At least 4 Australian orchids are included in the N.Z. flora on the basis of rather few occurrences, all in the Auckland district. The spp., each with the locality, collector and year of the most recent known record, are: Chiloglottis formicifera, Kaitaia, R. H. Matthews, 1901; Calochilus campestris, Aranga, north of Kaihu, Mason and Moar, 1949; Caleana minor, Rotorua, K. W. Allison, 1924; Pterostylis nutans, Whangaparaoa Peninsula, L. M. Cranwell, 1942.

Fr. us. develops rather rapidly after fl. and fruiting times are not given. Precise homologies of underground parts remain obscure and detailed anatomical and developmental studies would be rewarding.

E. D. Hatch reviewed the orchids of New Zealand in a comprehensive series of illustrated papers published in T.R.S.N.Z. from 1945 to 1954. His "Checklist of the New Zealand Orchids" appeared in the journal of the Biological Society of Victoria University College (Tuatara 4, 1951, 28-40); it includes a classification, keys to genera and spp., and a glossary, as well as the checklist with citation of author and place and date of publication for each sp., and it concludes with a list of references to his own papers. This list, brought up to date and rearranged so that genera appear in alphabetical order, follows; the numbers are those of volumes of T.R.S.N.Z., and where a number is in parenthesis the genus is mentioned only in relation to a new locality. References to species merely listed as common to Australia and N.Z. (vol. 76, pp. 58-60) are omitted. Acianthus 75, 76; Adenochilus 79; Aporostylis 77; Bulbophyllum 78, (Bot. 2); Caladenia 75, 77, (79), Bot. 2; Caleana 79; Calochilus 77; Chiloglottis 77; Corybas 75, 76, 79, (Bot. 2); Dendrobium 78; Earina 78; Gastrodia 77, (79), 82; Lyperanthus 77; Microtis 76 (key), 79, Bot. 2; Orthoceras 79, Bot. 2; Petalochilus 77; Prasophyllum 75, 76, (79); Pterostylis 75, 77, 78, (79), 80, (Bot. 2); Sarcochilus 78; Spiranthes 79, 82, (Bot. 2); Thelymitra 79, (80), (Bot. 2); Townsonia 77, (79); Yoania Bot. 2.

The classification here adopted is that of Dressler and Dodson (Ann. Mo. bot. Gard. 47, 1960, 25-68) who list all the N.Z. genera. This system is followed in Engler's Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien ed. 12, 2, 1964, 614-625 except that there Melchior retains Tribe Vandeae which includes Subtribes Cyrtopodiinae and Sarcanthinae.