Flora of New Zealand Series

A. sinclairii Hook. f. Fl. N.Z. 1, 1853, 245.

Original localities: "Common throughout the Islands, Sinclair, etc." Type: K(?).

Plant at fl. c. 2–10 cm. tall, elongating later. Stem erect, slender. Green lf sessile, us. ¼ to ½ way up stem, c. 1–3 cm. long, ovate, acuminate, strongly cordate at base. Raceme to 5 cm. long, us. less; floral bracts often green, foliaceous, ovate, sts small and membr. Fls 1–5–(10); per. c. 6–8 mm. long, ± erect, greenish with dull red on labellum. Sepals shortly and abruptly caudate; dorsal broadly lanceolate to ovate, concave, arched over column; lateral similar in length, linear-lanceolate. Petals shorter, lanceolate, acuminate. Labellum shorter than sepals, broad-ovate; tip acute and ± recurved, sts coarsely papillose; proximal part deeply concave; 2 rounded calli at base. Column shorter than labellum, without wings. Pollinia globose, 4 in each anther cell, breaking, if at all, into tetrads of grains.

DIST.: K., N., S., St., Ch. South Id records from Marlborough, Nelson and Westland.

Under light shade.

FL. (2)–5–9–(10).

The type locality for  var. fornicatus is vicinity of Port Jackson, N.S.W. Hatch (loc. cit. 369) gives as differentiating characters for  var. fornicatus : Plants larger, often > 30 cm. tal., lf us. basal; fls distant on raceme; peduncle elongating considerably after fertilisation.