Corybas Salisb.
Fls solitary, occ. 2; floral bracts us. 2, one minute, the larger us. shorter than ovary. Per. often large for size of plant; dorsal sepal uppermost, curved forward, ± concave to galeate; lateral sepals and petals linear to filiform, greatly elongate to extremely small. Labellum relatively large, the basal edges overlapping behind the column to form a tube, the distal part ± cylindric or expanded into a broad, abruptly deflexed lamina; margin entire, denticulate or fimbriate; calli if present minute and papillose. Column short, ± curved, us. inclined backwards, wings occ. represented by small lobes near top; anther terminal, erect, pollinia 2 per cell, pollen finely granular; stigma discoid, surrounded below by a fleshy ridge; rostellum median. Plants terrestrial, glab.; tubers orbicular, us. terminal on long laterals arising in axils of scale lvs on buried part of stem. Fl.-stem short, elongating greatly as fr. matures. Green lf solitary, broad, lamina us. horizontal. About 50 spp. from south-east Asia to N.Z., the 8 N.Z. spp. including 2 known also from Australia.
SYNOPSIS
- A.
- Labellum produced downwards into 2 small conical spurs; lateral sepals and petals minute:
- 1. aconitiflorus
- B.
- Labellum auriculate near base, each auricle curved outwards to enclose a circular aperture
- 1.
- Lateral sepals and petals shorter than labellum, inconspicuous:
- 2. unguiculatus
- 2.
- Lateral sepals and petals exceeding labellum, conspicuously elongate and filiform
- (a)
- Green lvs lacking:
- 4. cryptanthus
- (b)
- Green lf almost or quite sessile:
- 3. oblongus, 5. rivularis, 6. orbiculatus
- (c)
- Green lf petiolate:
- 7. macranthus, 8. trilobus
Key
Fl.-colour is from pale green to dark, sts purplish red, often white or translucent in parts, a single sp. us. showing some variation within this range.
Lvs in N.Z. are for the most part entire but occ. plants have a pair of marginal notches, or more rarely 2 pairs.