Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Puffer Track, Kaitoke, Wellington. Type: CHR 168063.

Plant at fl. 15–40 cm. tall. Lf 10–20 mm. wide, shallowly channelled, thick. Infl. to c. 6-fld. Per. c. 15 mm. long, pinkish to very pale lavender or blue with strong blue stripes, especially on petals. Sepals and petals subsimilar, broad, slightly obovate. Labellum oblong-obovate. Column-arms thickened about the nerve, flanged about the base with delicate pinkish lobes, teeth or fimbriae that sts extend down the front margin of the column-wing; the arms bent inwards so that the two globose bunches of crowded cilia meet just above the anther-tip; cilia at first pale yellow, turning brown with age, in old fls standing more erect; post-anther lobe taller than anther and ± hooded over it, us. dark red and ± tuberculate towards top with yellow margin.

DIST.: N., S.

North Auckland, near Kaikohe; Wellington, near Kaitoke; Nelson, Cobb Valley and near Reefton; Westland, west of Lake Brunner.

On clay and peaty soils.

FL. 11–1.