Flora of New Zealand Series

Caladenia cornuta (Hook. f.) Reichb. f. Beitr. syst. Pflk.  1871, 67.

Type locality: "Campbell's Island; on decaying roots of trees in shaded places, rare: D. Lyall, Esq." Type: K(?).

Plant at fl. c. 4–10 cm. tall, at fr. to 30 cm. tall, the mature capsule us. far above the floral bract. Stem erect, slightly fleshy, glab. Green lvs 2, us. close together, c. 3–10 × 1–3 cm., linear-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, acute to subacute, petiolate, glab. and ± fleshy. Floral bract with long cylindric sheath, lamina = or > ovary, green, sts larger and appearing as third lf. Fl. erect, between or above spreading lvs. Per. c. 1.5 cm. tall, green, glab., ± fleshy. Sepals shortly caudate; dorsal ovate-lanceolate; lateral much narrower, ± channelled. Petals slightly shorter, ovate-lanceolate, erect to spreading. Labellum broadly to narrowly triangular, on short claw; margins entire; calli dark green to reddish, ± globose, variously arranged in a ± central group, 2 often forming thickened inturned auricles near the base. Column almost as long as lip, the foot ending in a transverse thickening; wing narrow to level of stigma, there wider and extending almost to top of anther in broad, us. incurved lobe.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch., A., C., Ant.

Shaded, sts very damp places.

FL. 10–2–(5).

Recorded also for N.S.W., Victoria and Tasmania, the name C. muelleri Fitz. being regarded as a synonym by Rupp and Hatch (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 70, 1946, 57) and by Willis (Handbk Pl. Vict. 1962, 379).

Tubers for the next season may develop 10 cm. or more from the currently flowering plant. When the floral bract is exceptionally large the plant may appear to be 3-lvd and very rarely 3 green lvs are seen below the floral bract. At fr. C. cornuta has approximately the proportions of Aporostylis bifolia but the latter can always be distinguished not only by the hairs on the stem but also by the position of the floral bract close up to the capsule.