Flora of New Zealand Series

P. furcata var. micromega (Hook. f.) Hatch in T.R.S.N.Z. 80, 1953, 326.

Original localities: "Northern Island, Edgerley; East coast, Colenso". Type: K(?). WELT 22647 in Herb. Colenso is without locality.

Plant to c. 20–30 cm. tall. Stem c. 2 mm. diam., smooth; lower internodes short, upper sts longer than adjacent lvs. Lower lvs rarely forming close rosette; lamina us. c. 5 cm. long, broad-elliptic, subacute, margins often crisply and finely undulate, narrowing to short petiole. Upper lvs foliaceous, sessile, the uppermost sheathing, us. smallest, often reaching but rarely overtopping fl. Fl. solitary, erect, per. often whitish. Dorsal sepal 2.5–4 cm. long, us. smoothly arcuate throughout its length, tip acuminate to shortly caudate, ascending to curved downward; lateral sepals diverging at a narrow angle, tips caudate and overtopping galea. Petals shorter than dorsal sepal acuminate. Labellum narrow-triangular, arched almost in a right angle, protruding, apex narrowly obtuse, margins slightly upturned. Column much shorter than labellum; stigma narrow-oblong, flat.

DIST.: N. Scattered localities from Kaitaia (1903) to Wellington, especially from the central high country. S. Cobb Valley, I. M. Ritchie, 16/1/1965; B. B. Given, 18/1/1966. Ch. Travers (fide Hatch, 1949).

Bogs and swamps.

FL. (11)–12–2.

P. polyphylla Col. in T.N.Z.I. 22, 1890, 489 was described from "Near Mount Tongariro, County of East Taupo; 1889: Mr. H. Hill". The name is quoted in synonymy by Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906 and 1925) and by Hatch (T.R.S.N.Z. 77, 1949, 242). No specimens so labelled have been found in Herb. Colenso or elsewhere, but a plant from this district as described by Colenso with petioles ½–¾ inch long and narrow membr. per. 1½ inch long could well be P. micromega.

Rupp and Hatch (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 70, 1946, 59) and Hatch (T.R.S.N.Z. 80, 1953 326) discuss the relationship between N.Z. plants and P. furcata Lindl. Gen. and Sp. orch. Pl. 1840, 390, the latter based on Gunn 602 from Tasmania. Since N.Z. plants apparently cannot be closely matched in Tasmania it seems prudent to retain the New Zealand name for the N.Z. plant.

P. furcata var. linearis Hatch in T.R.S.N.Z. 77, 1949, 243 is discussed under P. montana.