Flora of New Zealand Series

Original localities: "Base of Shingle Peak, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, 3,000 ft; in shade: L. Cockayne! Bealey, Waimakariri Valley, Canterbury, T. Kirk!" Type: WELT 3648, Awatere Valley, Cockayne.

Plant c. 7–16–(25) cm. tall at fl. Stem us. erect, smooth, internodes < lvs. Lvs mostly 2–4, the shape changing from below upwards; lamina c. 3–9 × 1–2 cm., broad- to narrow-elliptic; the lowest, and those on non-flowering rosettes, sts obovate, obtuse to subacute, narrowing to broadly winged petiole; uppermost us. somewhat shorter, acute to acuminate, almost or quite sessile, often reaching but rarely overtopping fl. Fl. solitary, ovary us. erect. Dorsal sepal c. 3 cm. tall, ± erect then horizontal to down-turned, very shortly acuminate; lateral sepals diverging at a narrow angle, tips acuminate to shortly caudate, not greatly exceeding galea and often turned outwards and backwards. Petals a little shorter than dorsal sepal, very broad almost to acute tip, the exposed lateral strip often rather wide and ± flaring outwards. Labellum elliptic, only slightly arched, tip narrowly obtuse. Column as tall as or often taller than labellum; stigma elongate, us. truncate and prominent at the top.

DIST.: S. Marlborough and Canterbury, possibly Otago.

Endemic.

Grassy terraces or under light scrub or forest.

FL. 11–12.

Hatch (T.R.S.N.Z. 77, 1949, 241, Pl. 25A) regarded the Cockayne specimen as the holotype, presumably because it provided the only flower available to Petrie in drawing up his description. The sp. is further discussed by Hatch (T.R.S.N.Z. 80, 1953, 323-325) in the light of fresh specimens and information contributed by H. Talbot from the eastern slopes of the Torlesse Range. Other known localities are in the foothills near the Conway, Rakaia, Ashburton and Rangitata Rivers, on Banks Peninsula and near Motunau River mouth. Plants labelled P. areolata in R. M. Laing's herbarium of Arthur's Pass specimens at CANTY are all P. venosa.